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Ebbsfleet boss Dennis Kutrieb faces a selection dilemma ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup fourth qualifying round.
The Fleet host Hampton having already won at Carshalton and Aylesbury to reach this stage.
Kutrieb shuffled his pack in both matches but now has to decide how many changes to make from the team that won 3-1 at Slough in National League South last Saturday.
“My headaches are going to start now,” admitted Kutrieb. “It’s going to be a tough week for me.
“We have to decide a team and give us some options that will make an impact from the bench as well.
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s what I want, but I need to decide how many changes we make. We’ve got players that need game time but it’s a big game for the club and we want to get through as well.”
Ebbsfleet lost 3-0 at Hampton in the league last month - a scoreline Kutrieb felt wasn’t a true reflection of the game - but have responded with four straight wins, scoring 11 goals in the process.
They’ve got their season back on track and while Kutrieb is pleased with the draw as he wants to “put the wrongs right” from that league reverse, he also feels his squad have taken those lessons on board.
“I’m really pleased that we get to play Hampton again so soon after the league defeat,” said Kutrieb. “Normally you have to wait a long time.
“What we learnt from that game is that we can’t make mistakes against good teams in our league as we’re going to get punished.
“We’ve won every game since then so we’ve done something better and learnt the right things, we’ve responded in the right way.
“The players realised it as since that game, we’ve got league points and got through two rounds.”
The Fleet boss is refusing to look too far ahead, however, despite the prospect of a place in the first round for the winners.
Potential ties against the likes of Portsmouth, Charlton and Ipswich await but that’s not entered Kutrieb’s mind.
“If I’m honest, it doesn’t feel like the big FA Cup game yet because it’s against a team in our league and we’re still in the qualifying rounds,” said Kutrieb.
“We are far away from the first round still, we’ve got at least 90 minutes until then. I just want to win on Saturday but more so because we lost 3-0 last time rather than what might come after that if we get through.”
