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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's chase for titles this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.

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Star player Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker registered to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot injury.

"Training, no because we lack time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly vicious circle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a extensive list of injuries for the club. Since the beginning of last season, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Extended Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from knee and "needs more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that training intensity were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Plans

Despite a significant summer investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is unlikely looking to dip into the winter recruitment market.

"At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a question of weeks," he commented. "It's clear how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their first loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the top of the Premier League to two clear points.

Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group-stage victory would all but secure a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make history by finding the net in a fifth successive European match.

"We are disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."