Gylfi Sigurdsson is out to help Everton turn up the heat on Burnley this weekend - and says he’ll be ready to fire no matter how cold it gets at Turf Moor.
The Met Office are predicting it could feel as low as -6 degrees Celsius in Lancashire, though that is unlikely to send a shiver down the spine of the Blues’ Club-record signing.
Temperatures in Sigurdsson’s native Reykjavik average below freezing for three months of the year, and the former Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City midfielder has revealed how he relishes the icy conditions.
Speaking as the studio guest on this week’s The Everton Show - available below - the 28-year-old said: “It’s been a bit cold but I actually prefer playing in this kind of weather.
“It reminds me of home and you’ve got to keep moving to keep warm!”
Everton make the short trip to Burnley looking to move level on points with their seventh-placed hosys, whose last victory came against struggling Stoke City back in mid-December.
In much the same time frame, Everton have journeyed from the fringes of the relegation zone to ninth place.
And while the bulk of those points have been earned at home - the Toffees have taken 17 from the last 24 available at Goodison Park - Sigurdsson is hoping the upwards momentum is with the Blues.
“We’ve still got the chance to move up the table and that’s what - not just the boys, but the staff and whole team - is looking at.
“There’s a real hunger to finish as high as we can. It’s been a strange season. Of course we were not in the best position or playing our best football in the first half of the season but we always kept going and we’ve put ourselves in a position where we can still finish on a high.
“If we can continue what we’ve been doing, especially at home, then we can make this a better season than it once looked.
“It [the away form] is something we are looking at and we’re doing everything we can. We want to bring that good form at home into the away games because we’re hard to beat at home, we’re getting results, we’re getting goals, and if we can get a few results away from home we’d be in an even better position."
While Sigurdsson may benefit from a natural advantage when Everton emerge from the comfort of their dressing room out in to the freezing north west chill on Saturday lunchtime, as fate would have it, the fixture list has paired him against the Premier League’s only other Icelander on the coldest weekend of the year.
Winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson has been an integral part of a Sean Dyche side who, despite their recent struggles, have mixed it with the Premier League’s top six for much of the campaign.
The 27-year-old has appeared in all but one league fixture for the Clarets, scoring twice and providing five assists.
And his compatriot’s good form is just one of the reasons Sigurdsson - scorer of six goals so far in his maiden campaign on Merseyside - says the Blues will need to be on their mettle at Turf Moor.
“They’re always tough to play against. They don’t score a lot of goals but they don’t concede many either [Burnley have netted 10 goals in 14 Premier League outings at Turf Moor this season, conceding 11]. They’re very hard to break down, defend very well and they’re a tough team to play against.
“I’ll speak to Johann after but before and during the game I won’t be saying too much!
“We’re playing for three points for our team and that’s the most important thing for both of us.”
Did you know there are now even more ways to catch The Everton Show - wherever you are in the world?
Bringing Evertonians exclusive interviews, player features and all the latest Blues news - not to mention first-team player studio guests - The Everton Show is available every Friday online and on tv.
The Everton Show airs first to Season Ticket holders and Official Members via the Members section of evertonfc.com from Friday afternoon.
The programme is then available on demand via evertonfc.com and YouTube from 5pm - but the opportunities to catch the latest episode don’t end there.
For those in Merseyside and North Wales, The Everton Show broadcasts on Made In Liverpool (Freeview channel 7 and Virgin 159) and Made In North Wales (Freeview channel 8) at 8pm every Friday, before being repeated at 2am, 7.30am and 12pm every Saturday*.
And Sky subscribers across the country won’t miss out either - tune in to channel 117 from 11.30am every Saturday morning to discover our latest big-name guest†.
* If you live outside of the Made In Liverpool or Made In North Wales broadcast regions but have access to a Sky box, find out how you can add the channel here.
† Where a Made network is available.
