Mikel Arteta tries to downplay the dispute between Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko with an uncomfortable joke

Mikel Arteta has decided to downplay the heated argument between Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko making an awkward joke at his press conference.

He Arsenal The duo caught the eye during the 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest when embroiled in heated post-match exchange in which both had to be separated by Declan Rice and set piece coach Nicolas Jover.

Arteta played down the dispute ahead of the weekend's clash with Liverpool, joking that the duo currently live together.

“They've been in the same house for the last few days sharing wives and everything,” Arteta said, laughing as he tried to tell the media and fans that there's nothing to the dispute.

“It's good that they live together now. They are best friends.

“You don't argue with someone if you don't have a good relationship.

Arguments between teammates desperate to win are nothing new, as Arteta acknowledged. He added: “That happens because you have the trust and the chemistry with someone to react the way they did.”

Arsenal will hope to follow up their victory over Nottingham Forest with a win over Liverpool this weekend.

Victory over Jurgen Klopp's team will see them reduce the gap with the league leaders to just two points.

However, they have suffered a new injury and Thomas Partey has suffered a setback that will keep him out of the match.

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However, he will have Gabriel Jesús available after training all week following his scoring performance against Forest.