🔗 Share this article Arteta Fears Injury Woes Could Hinder The Gunners' Trophy Hunt Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his team's chase for titles this campaign is being threatened by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list. Latest Team News Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain unavailable. There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker added to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot injury. "Training, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously 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 dangerous cycle." Dowman's setback is the most recent in a extensive list of injuries for the North London side. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League. Long-Term Absences Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year. Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from knee and "requires more time," according to the manager. Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice methods were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for drills. He emphasized the pressure on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years. Recruitment Plans Despite a significant off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely looking to dip into the winter recruitment market. "At the moment we're just focusing on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a question of weeks," he said. "We know how important those weeks are going to be." Looking Ahead The squad suffered their first loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two clear points. Focus now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group victory would virtually secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight successive European fixture. "We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "It's not like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."