Barcelona have been rocked by the news that Brazilian forward Neymar will miss this month's El Clasico against Real Madrid after being handed a three-match suspension.

Neymar picked up a red card in Barcelona's 2-0 defeat to Malaga last weekend, but it had initially been thought that the 25-year-old would miss just the one match following his two yellow cards.

The former Santos attacker was seen to sarcastically clap the referee, in addition to the fourth official, upon leaving the field, however, which has led to him being handed a three-game suspension.

The ban means that Neymar will miss this weekend's clash at home to Real Sociedad, in addition to the trip to Real Madrid on April 23 and home fixture with Osasuna on April 26.

Spanish league rules indicate that players can receive a longer suspension if they show 'clear contempt' for match officials.

Barcelona are currently three points behind Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, while they have played one game more than Zinedine Zidane's side.