Arteta Fears Fitness Woes Could Hinder The Gunners' Silverware Quest

Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for honors this campaign is being threatened by a concerning circle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Fresh Team News

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker registered to their European squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot injury.

"Training, no because we lack time to train. But clearly 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 dangerous cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a long list of injuries for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absentees

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

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

Transfer Plans

Despite a major off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not planning to dip into the winter transfer market.

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

Next Challenge

The team experienced their initial loss in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the top of the league to two clear points.

Focus now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage victory would all but secure a knockout phase place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth straight successive Champions League fixture.

"The team is disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."