Kipre racing to be fit again after late arrival to Kedah's pre-season

Kedah Darul Aman star striker Tchetche Kipre has admitted that he needs to catch up to his teammates' current fitness level, following his late arrival to the club's 2021 pre-season training.

The Ivorian had only arrived back in Malaysia late last week, when the team had already undergone weeks of pre-season.

"Although I had undertaken light training back in my hometown, it definitely wasn't enough for me to keep fit. The team had gone through three weeks of intensive training while I'm still behind.

"I need to figure this out in order to train twice as hard so I will be at the right fitness level by the the time of the Sumbangsih Cup (Kedah vs Johor Darul Ta'zim) on February 26," said the 33-year old forward in an interview produced by the club.

At the start of last season's Malaysia Super League, Kipre had experienced a slow, unconvincing start and only managed to score one goal in four appearances. But when the league resumed five months later following the Covid-19 lockdown, he banged in six more goals in seven appearances. 

Despite this, he still looks forward to playing and entertaining the fans in the cup match, which will pit last season's league champions against the runners up, and also doubles up as this season's first league match.

"The first match of the season is crucial for confidence. I want to prepare well because it will be a tough match against a formidable JDT side. 

"We are also a good side and I believe everyone will be waiting for the clash, and they will be entertained by it," noted the former Terengganu FC man.

Although the the current situation concerning Malaysia's domestic football is uncertain due to the ever-rising number of new Covid-19 cases in the country, the league organiser last week stated that they are still retaining the January 26 season kick-off date.