Barcelona assistant Jon Aspiazu has said that Sergio Busquets was dropped from the starting lineup for the game with Real Madrid due to "technical reasons".

Despite initially being selected in the first XI for Wednesday's Clasico, Busquets was soon replaced by Ivan Rakitic.

While it was suggested that the Spaniard was unwell, Aspiazu has moved to clarify the situation by claiming that it was the management's decision to exclude the long-serving midfielder.

Ahead of the fixture at Camp Nou, Aspiazu told Spanish television: "Sergio is fine, will be on the bench. It was just a misunderstanding with the lineup. Just a technical decision."

A further report has indicated that the call was made as a result of Real Madrid leaving out fellow veteran Luka Modric.