Aston Villa boss Unai Emery will be hoping his side can take the opportunity to move to the top of the table as they take on a Sheffield United side that’s rooted to the foot of the table.
With an impressive 12 wins from their opening 17 games, Villa now find themselves as unlikely title challengers with the Villans just a point behind leaders Arsenal ahead of kick-off.
With just eight points in their 17 matches, and a worrying six points off safety, returning boss Chris Wilder will be hoping his Sheffield United side can put their demoralizing 2-0 defeat to Chelsea last weekend behind them and claim a much needed positive result as they head into the busy Christmas period.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services for watching all of the action live wherever you are in the world.
Ollie Watkins is just one goal away from reaching 50 goals in the Premier League for Aston Villa.
Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United: When and where?
Aston Villa host Sheffield United at Villa Park on Friday, Dec. 22. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. GMT (3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 7 a.m. AEDT on Saturday, Dec. 23 in Australia).
How to watch the Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United game online from anywhere using a VPN
If you’re unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch — and that’s where 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 a great idea if you want an extra layer of privacy for your devices and log-ins while you’re traveling and connecting to Wi-Fi networks.
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 sticks 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, non-blackout 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 thinks is 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.
Livestream Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United in the US
Sunday’s Aston Villa-Sheffield United 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 Sling TV and other more expensive streaming TV services.
Sling TV’s Blue plan includes USA Network making it a great option for those wanting to watch Premier League action. It’s $40 per month and includes over 40 channels, including other sports channels like ESPN and FS1.
Livestream the Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United game in the UK
Premier League rights in the UK are split between Sky Sports, Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports (previously known as BT Sport). Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United 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 Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United game in Canada
If you want to stream Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo Canada. The service has exclusive rights for this Premier League season.
Fubo 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. Sheffield United game in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch this EPL fixture on streaming service Optus Sport, which is showing every 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 including 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.
