Leipzig captain Orban out until new year with knee injury

orban-injury

Bayern's Kingsley Coman, left, and Leipzig's Willi Orban, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between RB Leipzig and FC Bayern Munich. (Jens Meyer/AP)

LEIPZIG, Germany — Leipzig captain Willi Orban has been ruled out with a knee problem until the new year, deepening an injury crisis for the German title challenger.

Leipzig says Orban has undergone an operation on his injured knee to remove a loose fragment of tissue.

That puts the defender out of six Bundesliga games and the final two games in Leipzig’s Champions League group stage campaign, at home to Benfica on Nov. 27 and away to Lyon on Dec. 10.

Before his operation, the Hungary international had already missed two Bundesliga games and last week’s Champions League win over Zenit St. Petersburg.

That adds to problems in defence for Leipzig, with Marcel Halstenberg, Tyler Adams, Nordi Mukiele and Ibrahima Conate all recovering from various injuries.

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