RB Leipzig captain Willi Orban could miss this week’s game as he donates STEM CELLS

RB Leipzig captain Willi Orban could miss his side’s clash this weekend against Union Berlin as he donates stem cells that will save a stranger’s life.

Orban, 30, has played every minute of the Bundesliga season at Leipzig so far and the centre-back has been crucial in their rise to fourth in the table under Marco Rose after he sacked predecessor Domenico Tedesco in September.

They will face surprise league side Union on Saturday at the Red Bull Arena, but the Hungary defender could miss the clash as he cannot train all week before his stem cell donation.

A stem cell transplant replaces a person’s damaged blood cells with healthy cells from a donor and can be used to treat conditions affecting blood cells, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

Orban signed up for Germany’s bone marrow donor roster in 2017 when Leipzig launched a campaign about it.

He was recently informed that he had a ‘match’ – which basically means there was a suitable recipient of a donation from him and someone in need with the same type of fabric or type of similar fabric.

And, according to Bild German outletOrban is expected to undergo his stem cell donation on Wednesday, with the defender receiving injections over the past few days in preparation for the operation.

The 30-year-old has since expressed his excitement about potentially saving someone’s life.

He told Bild: “Of course I was surprised at first when I found out I was eligible as a donor.

“But I never had any doubts, I wanted to tackle the donation directly. It is the possibility of saving a human life with very little effort, there are no two opinions for me.

“I really hope that my donation can help to fully heal the recipient.”

Orban’s stem cell collection process will take place in Dresden and is expected to take several hours.

The RB Leipzig defender will donate on Wednesday after being told of a ‘match’ as ​​Orban registered with Germany’s bone marrow donor file in 2017.

The Hungarian international (R) also urged more people to sign up for stem cell donation

Although the 30-year-old is not supposed to be kept under overnight observation, a 10-day rest period is recommended for donors, casting doubt on his participation in Leipzig’s game with Union.

Orban is considered an extremely fit player and his potential appearance on Saturday is likely to hinge on his reaction to the process.

However, the defender claims there is a bigger issue than football.

He said: “Of course it’s possible that I miss the game against Union – despite all my sporting ambitions, that’s secondary in this case.”

“And everyone who knows me knows that I will do everything to get back into the team as soon as possible.”

Orban has been briefed on some details about the recipient of his stem cells, such as their gender and location, and he could possibly meet with them if a retrieval takes place and both parties are interested.

However, the advocate focused on the importance of what he was doing and encouraged more people to sign up for stem cell donation.

He added: “I wish a lot more people would sign up. It’s really very simple, I feel very well taken care of.

“My example shows that the recording makes perfect sense.”