English football turns its attention today to the oldest national cup competition in the world. A blockbuster fourth-round clash between the English Premier League’s top two teams kicks off a weekend of FA Cup soccer, as Man City host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
This cup showdown looks likely to set the tone for the crucial Premier League meeting between the two title contenders next month. The teams haven’t played each other for over a year, and a lot has changed since City beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates. In the summer, City sold striker Gabriel Jesus and full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal and they look a team reborn: Arsenal currently hold a five-point lead over City at the top of the EPL.
Since lifting the FA Cup in 2019, City have fallen to three successive semifinal exits. Arsenal have gone one better than last season, after they were knocked out in the third round in 2022’s tournament by a shock defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Both teams are expected to field full-strength sides for today’s game, with the likes of Erling Haaland and Bukayo Saka both set to feature. There’s also added intrigue with City boss Pep Guardiola coming up against his former assistant (and former Barcelona teammate) Mikel Arteta for the first time this season.
Will the apprentice outfox the master this time? Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live, wherever you are in the world.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta takes on his mentor Pep Guardiola in this FA Cup fourth round clash.
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Manchester City vs. Arsenal: When and where?
Man City host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Friday, Jan. 27. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. local time in the UK (3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 7 a.m. AEDT on Jan. 28 in Australia).
How to watch the Manchester City vs. Arsenal game online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
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ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream the Man City vs. Arsenal game in the US
Friday’s match at the Etihad Stadium is streaming exclusively live in the US on ESPN Plus. Kick-off is at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT) for viewers in the States.
ESPN’s standalone streaming service costs $10 a month or $100 for an annual subscription. With it, you’ll be able to watch all of this season’s FA Cup fixtures, including this big match at the Etihad. Read our ESPN Plus review.
Livestream the Man City vs. Arsenal game for free in the UK
The great news for footy fans in the UK is that free-to air broadcasters the BBC and ITV are sharing live broadcast duties for this season’s FA Cup.
This fixture is being shown exclusively on ITV1, with coverage starting at 7.30 p.m. GMT ahead of the 8 p.m. kick-off.
ITV
With the match being broadcast on ITV1, that also means you’ll also be able to watch the game online for free via the network’s on-demand streaming service, ITVX (formerly ITV Hub).
The service has an updated new app that’s available for Android and Apple mobile devices, as well as a vast array of smart TVs.
Livestream Man City vs. Arsenal game in Canada
Canadian soccer fans looking to watch this big FA Cup fixture can watch all the action live via Sportsnet, with kickoff at the Etihad set for 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT) on Friday afternoon.
Sportsnet is available via most cable operators, but cord-cutters can subscribe to the network’s standalone streaming service SN Now instead, with prices starting at CA$15 per month or CA$150 per year.
Livestream Man City vs. Arsenal game in Australia
ViacomCBS now holds the broadcast rights for the FA Cup in Australia, which means you can now watch matches from the tournament live Down Under via streaming service Paramount Plus. You’ll just have to set an alarm for early Saturday morning: kickoff is at 7 a.m. AEDT.
An Australian Paramount Plus subscription currently costs AU$9 a month, which gives you access to Paramount’s coverage of this year’s tournament, as well as Hollywood movies such as Top Gun: Maverick and original shows like Picard and Tulsa King.
