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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's chase for titles this campaign is being jeopardized by a worrying cycle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

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Star player Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Practice, no because we lack time to train. But obviously the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a long series of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last season, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from knee and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta rejected the idea that training methods were to blame, citing a lack of time for sessions. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two years.

Transfer Plans

Even after a significant summer spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is unlikely looking to dip into the winter transfer market.

"At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a matter of a short time," he commented. "We know how important those coming weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The squad suffered their first defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the top of the league to two clear points.

Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group victory would all but secure a knockout phase finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create history by finding the net in a fifth straight successive European match.

"We are frustrated with the result, but we have to move forward," he said. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."