Why You Can Trust CNET Man City vs. Aston Villa Livestream: How to Watch Premier League Soccer From Anywhere
The reigning champions continue their bid to catch Arsenal in the Premier League title race, as they welcome Villa to the Etihad Stadium.
With a scandal brewing in the background for Man City, manager Pep Guardiola will be keen to get back to on-field matters as his side host Aston Villa this weekend.
Sunday's match at the Etihad comes in the wake of the English Premier League's decision to charge Man City with breaking its financial rules.
The charges added to the gloom around the club following last Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Tottenham, which saw City fail to capitalize on league leaders Arsenal's slip up against Everton the day before.
They now face an improving Villa side under new boss Unai Emery, who have climbed up to midtable security and have had a habit of rising to the occasion against bigger teams in recent weeks.
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 have scrambled up to 12th under new boss Unai Emery.
Manchester City vs. Aston Villa: When and where?
Spurs host Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday, Feb. 12. Kickoff is set for 4.30 p.m. local time in the UK (11.30 a.m. ET, 8.30 a.m. PT in the US, and at 3.30 a.m. AEST on Monday, Feb. 13 in Australia).
How to watch the Man City vs. Aston Villa 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. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, nonblackout area. 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.
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. Aston Villa game in the US
Sunday's big EPL match 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.
Sling TV's Blue plan includes USA Network making it a great option for those wanting to watch EPL action. It's $35 per month and includes over 40 channels, including other sports channels like ESPN and FS1.
Livestream the Man City vs. Aston Villa game in the UK
Premier League rights in the UK are split between Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime Video. This game is exclusive to Sky Sports -- showing on its Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League and Ultra channels. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account, and a Now Sports membership, to stream the game.
Sky subsidiary Now (formerly Now TV) offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for £12, or sign up to a monthly plan from £25 per month right now.
Livestream the Man City vs. Aston Villa game in Canada
If you want to stream this game 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 Man City vs. Aston Villa game in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch this EPL fixture 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 less, with discounts bringing the price down 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.