Barcelona's Villa in hospital with kidney stones

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona says striker David Villa has been taken to a hospital because of kidney stones.

The club said the 31-year-old Spain forward would be "subjected to appropriate treatment to eliminate the kidney stones" in the next few hours.

The club said in a statement Monday that Villa is doubtful for Saturday's league game at Granada.

The Catalan club leads the Spanish league by 12 points ahead of second-place Atletico Madrid, with archrival Real Madrid 16 points behind.

Villa has been given limited playing time this season after returning from a long layoff because of a broken leg.