🔗 Share this article Arteta Fears Injury Woes Could Hinder Arsenal's Silverware Hunt Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his team's chase for titles this campaign is being threatened by a concerning cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling fixture list. Fresh Team News Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain on the sidelines. There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker added to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle injury. "Training, no because we lack time to train. But obviously the fact that you are without players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly vicious cycle." Dowman's setback is the most recent in a long list of injuries for the North London side. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the English top flight. Extended Absences Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until the new year. Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "needs more time," according to the boss. Arteta rejected the idea that practice methods were to blame, citing a lack of opportunity for sessions. He emphasized the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years. Recruitment Plans Despite a significant off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted 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 with luck it will be a question of weeks," he commented. "It's clear how important those weeks are going to be." Next Challenge The team suffered their initial defeat in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their lead at the top of the Premier League to two points. Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would all but secure a top-eight place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create history by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League match. "The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."