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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's chase for honors this campaign is being threatened by a concerning cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling schedule.

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Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to Belgium due to illness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.

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

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a long series of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start of last season, they have suffered 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 continues to rehabilitate from knee and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta rejected the idea that training intensity were to blame, pointing to a lack of time for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Transfer Plans

Even after a significant summer investment over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is unlikely planning to enter the January transfer market.

"At the moment we're just focusing on getting the players back and with luck it will be a matter of a short time," he said. "It's clear how important those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The team suffered their first defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, cutting their lead at the top of the Premier League to two points.

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group victory would all but secure a top-eight place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by scoring in a fifth straight successive Champions League match.

"The team is frustrated with the outcome, but we have to move forward," he said. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."