Gunners boss Mikel Arteta goes head-to-head with his predecessor Unai Emery in this intriguing clash between Aston Villa and Arsenal on Saturday in the English Premier League.
The two teams meet having both lost 3-1 to Man City in their previous games. Having had an eight-point lead before the World Cup break, Wednesday’s defeat saw Arsenal relinquish their lead at the top the league to City, and will be desperate on Saturday to arrest a run of four matches without a win.
After succeeding Steven Gerrard as Villa boss in October, Emery has helped guide the once relegation-threatened side up to a comfortable 11th in the top-flight rankings. This match could prove to be the perfect time for the Spaniard to face his old club.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live wherever you are in the world.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will be looking to prove a point to his former employers Arsenal on Saturday.
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Aston Villa vs. Arsenal: When and where?
Aston Villa host Arsenal at Villa Park on Saturday, Feb. 18. Kickoff is set for 12.30 p.m. local time in the UK (7:30 a.m. ET, 4.30 a.m. PT in the US, and 11.30 p.m. AEST in Australia).
How to watch the Aston Villa 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 Aston Villa vs. Arsenal game in the US
This EPL clash is streaming on USA Network, which you can access as part of your cable package or at the NBC Sports website with a valid login, and can be streamed via FuboTV and Sling TV.
FuboTV is one of the best sports streaming services for soccer fans and, importantly for cord-cutters wanting to watch the EPL, carries USA Network, which airs several games that are not shown on Peacock. It’s pricey, though, with prices from $75 per month, so if you don’t plan on using FuboTV for its other soccer access — including Serie A, Ligue 1, Liga MX and others — you may be better served by Sling Blue, which also carries USA Network from $40 per month.
Livestream the Aston Villa vs. Arsenal game in the UK
Premier League rights in the UK are split between Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime Video. The Aston Villa vs. Arsenal game is exclusive to BT Sports — showing on its BT Sports 1, BT Sports 1 HD and BT Sports Ultra channels. BT Sport can be obtained either directly through BT as part of one of its many TV bundles or added to Sky and Virgin packages if they’re your provider. You can also avoid any commitments and sign up to a 30-day, contract-free BT Sport Monthly Pass.
BT’s 30-day pass offers full access to every BT Sport channel for £25 with no contract (the price goes up to £30 on Feb. 17). The pass lets you watch BT’s coverage of the EPL, Champions League and more through the BT Sport app on smart TVs, mobiles, tablets, games consoles and Chromecast, as well as via the BT Sport website.
Livestream the Aston Villa vs. Arsenal game in Canada
If you want to stream this clash at Villa Park live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to FuboTV Canada. The service has exclusive rights to this Premier League season.
FuboTV is the go-to destination for Canadians looking to watch the Premier League this season with exclusive streaming rights to every game. It costs CA$25 per month, though you can save some cash by paying quarterly or annually.
Livestream the Aston Villa vs. Arsenal game in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch this match on streaming service Optus Sport, which is showing every single Premier League game live in Australia this season.
With exclusive rights to screen every EPL match live this season, as well as German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga games, streaming service Optus Sport is a particularly big draw for Aussie soccer fans.
If you’re already an Optus network customer you can bag Optus Sport for a reduced price, with discounts bringing the price down to as low as AU$7 per month. If you’re not, a standalone monthly subscription to the service starts at AU$25.
Quick tips for streaming the Premier League using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming EPL matches may vary.
- If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
- If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
