Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his team's chase for honors this season is being threatened by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.
Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to Belgium due to sickness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.
There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their European squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle problem.
"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly vicious circle."
Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive series of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start of last season, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the English top flight.
Arteta dismissed the suggestion that training methods were to culprit, citing a lack of time for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.
Even after a significant summer investment over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not planning to enter the January recruitment market.
"Right now we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of a short time," he commented. "We know how crucial those weeks are going to be."
The squad experienced their first defeat in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their advantage at the top of the league to two points.
Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group win would all but secure a top-eight finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth successive Champions League match.
"The team is frustrated with the result, but we have to keep going," he said. "It's not like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."
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