Real Zaragoza insist Andres D'Alessandro's absence for Wednesday night's defeat at Barcelona had nothing to do with any type of bust-up.

Reacting quickly to local rumours, Zaragoza said in an official statement on their website last night: "On account of some completely unfounded speculation regarding the actions of player Andres D'Alessandro during the match at Barcelona, Real Zaragoza wishes to clarify the facts.

"As this web page confirmed, D'Alessandro underwent a scan [on Thursday] that showed the existence of a muscle pull... The medical report is signed by Dr. Rogelio Marco Larraga.

"The club technicians and doctors knew full well of these issues that the player suffers from, and that recurred during his warm-up at the Nou Camp.

"One must also point out that the player interrupted his warm-up due to such annoyances after consulting with the doctors and medical staff as the first half went on.

"When Matuzalem was injured, D'Alessandro was not warming up; rather, three other Zaragoza players were."