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Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his squad's chase for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling fixture list.

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Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League clash to Belgium due to illness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain on the sidelines.

There was, however, positive 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 problem.

"Practice, no because we lack time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive series of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last season, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from surgery and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training methods were to blame, citing a lack of opportunity for sessions. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a significant off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is unlikely planning to dip into the January transfer market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on getting the players back and with luck it will be a question of weeks," he said. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

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

Attention now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group-stage victory would virtually secure a top-eight place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth consecutive Champions League match.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."