Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Dino Toppmoller has announced a drastic change to his starting lineup against Liverpool, dropping first-choice goalkeeper Kaua Santos.
Frankfurt host Liverpool in their third fixture of the Champions League league phase on Wednesday night, on the back of a 2-2 draw with Freiburg.
It extended their winless run to three games, though Arne Slot‘s side themselves have lost their last four in all competitions.
Toppmoller’s side have now conceded 18 goals in their last five and that has prompted a change between the sticks against Liverpool.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the Frankfurt head coach revealed that Santos had been dropped with Michael Zetterer taking his place.
???? final training session ahead of #SGELIV at @DeuBaPark!#SGE | #SGELIV | #UCL pic.twitter.com/9KHLKFToqc
— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintrachtint) October 21, 2025
“We made this decision after several discussions because we felt it might be important for Kaua to take a step back right now,” Toppmoller told reporters per Bulinews.
“There’s been a lot coming at him recently.
“We have three top goalkeepers. Zetti already played our first few matches and exuded great calmness – he also did very well with the ball.
“That’s why we made this decision, also in Santos’ best interest.”
Zetterer filled in for Santos at the start of the season as the Brazilian was sidelined through injury, but now the 30-year-old will start based on form.
Santos’ first game saw him concede four against Union Berlin (4-3 loss), before further shipping four vs. Borussia Monchengladbach (6-4 win), five vs. Atletico Madrid (5-1 loss), three vs. Bayern Munich (3-0 loss) and two vs. Freiburg (2-2 draw).
Frankfurt conceded six goals in Zetterer’s first four games following his €5 million move from Werder Bremen, including victories over Bremen (4-1), Hoffenheim (3-1) and Galatasaray (5-1).
Meanwhile, BILD report that strikers Elye Wahi and Michy Batshuayi have fallen out of favour under Toppmoller, with Newcastle‘s William Osula already a target for January.
Jonathan Burkardt is expected to lead the line against Liverpool, with Bulinews predicting three changes from the draw with Freiburg.
Predicted Frankfurt XI: Zetterer; Kristensen, Koch, Amenda, Theate; Skhiri, Chaibi, Uzun; Knauff, Brown, Burkardt
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