đź”— Share this article Arteta Fears Injury Woes Could Hinder The Gunners' Trophy Hunt Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his squad's chase for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying circle of injuries and a grueling schedule. Latest Team News Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League clash to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain unavailable. There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot problem. "Practice, no because we lack time to train. But obviously 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 truly vicious cycle." Dowman's issue is the latest in a extensive series of fitness problems for the club. 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 MagalhĂŁes are unlikely to return until 2025. Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from knee and "needs more time," as stated by the manager. Arteta dismissed the suggestion that training methods were to blame, pointing to a shortage of time for drills. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons. Recruitment Strategy Even after a significant off-season spend over ÂŁ250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not planning to enter the winter transfer market. "At the moment we're just concentrating on getting the players back and with luck it will be a matter of weeks," he said. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be." Next Challenge The team suffered their initial loss in 18 games at the weekend, cutting their advantage at the summit of the league to two clear points. Focus now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group-stage win would all but secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make history by finding the net in a fifth successive Champions League match. "The team is frustrated with the result, but we have to move forward," he stated. "It's not like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."