Eintracht Frankfurt keeper Kaua Santos ready for Bundesliga return | OneFootball

Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Dino Toppmöller confirmed that – after last night’s 5-1 win over Galatasaray in the Champions League – there would be heavy squad rotations in Sunday’s forthcoming league fixture. Toppmöller conveyed the need for “fresh” players against a “highly physical” Bundesliga opponent Union Berlin.

Plenty of Toppmöller’s outfielders find themselves in need of a break. The SGE head coach certainly hasn’t forgotten what transpired the last time Union came to town. Steffen Baumgart’s Eisernen pulled off a surprise 1-2 away upset the last time they travelled to Deutsche Bank Park in early March.

In addition to providing some fresh legs for the outfield, Toppmöller may also tap young Brazilian Kaua Santos for a start in net. The 22-year-old is now back fit after suffering an ACL tear last April.

Kaua Santos’ emergence as Eintracht’s undisputed keeper-of-the-future led to long-time captain Kevin Trapp departing the club this past autumn. Frankfurt bid an official farewell to Trapp ahead of last night’s UCL match.

As Kaua Santos wasn’t yet fit, Eintracht procured Werder Bremen’s Michael Zetterer to serve as the squad’s No. 1. Amid his own training camp battle with Bremen prospect Mio Backhaus, Zetterer made clear that he had no intention of serving as a back-up.

Irrespective of Zetterer’s wishes, Toppmöller declined to specifically commit to his newly-acquired keeper at a Friday press conference. For the SGE head coach, fielding the best XI to take the league encounter obviously takes precedence.

“There will definitely be personnel changes,” Toppmöller said on Friday. “How many? I don’t know really know myself yet.

“We need to be fresh against an opponent who plays very physically,” Toppmöller continued. “We should line up in such a way that we feel that all the guys who go into the game are totally fresh.“

GGFN | Peter Weis