Why You Can Trust CNET Watch Premier League Soccer: Livestream Man City vs. Arsenal From Anywhere
A potentially pivotal clash at the Etihad Stadium sees the two title contenders go head to head.
It's the most highly anticipated game of the English Premier League season so far, as table-topping Arsenal take on second-placed Man City in a match that looks likely to determine which way the title will go.
Arsenal have confounded pre-season expectations to be in the driving seat in the race to be crowned champions, but a run of three disappointing draws against Liverpool, West Ham and rock-bottom Southampton has seen them lose form at a crucial moment in the campaign.
To make matters worse for the Gunners, Man City are currently in ominously imperious form. Pep Guardiola's side have won nine of their last 10 games across all competitions and are on course to secure an historic treble, with the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League also within their grasp.
Arsenal come into this crucial EPL clash with a five-point lead, but have played two games more than City, placing the pressure squarely on coach Mikel Arteta to come away from the Etihad with a statement win and remain in control of the title race.
Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live wherever you are in the world.
Mikel Arteta, (left), worked as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Man City before leaving to become Arsenal boss in 2019.
Manchester City vs. Arsenal: When and where?
Man City host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Wednesday, April 26. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. BST local time in the UK (3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT in the US and 5 a.m. AEST in Australia on Thursday, April 27).
How to watch the Man 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.
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 a 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
This crucial EPL fixture is streaming on Peacock. You'll need a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account to catch the game live.
NBC's streaming service Peacock offers access to plenty of Premier League soccer throughout the season. You'll need to be signed up with a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account to stream games live. For a limited time, you can sign up for Peacock Premium at a 60% discount, dropping the monthly cost as low as $2 (or even less with an annual account).
Livestream the Man City vs. Arsenal 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 BT Sport -- showing on its BT Sport 1, BT Sport 1 HD and BT Sport 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 £30 with no contract (the price recently went up from £25). 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 Man City vs. Arsenal game in Canada
If you want to stream this EPL clash 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 a month, though you can save some cash by paying quarterly or annually.
Livestream the Man City vs. Arsenal 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 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.