Aston Villa v Brighton & Hove Albion live stream, Saturday 20 November, 3pm GMT
Steven Gerrard will take charge of his first game as Aston Villa manager when Brighton come to town on Saturday afternoon.
Dean Smith was sacked following Villa’s 1-0 loss to Southampton before the international break. That was their fifth defeat on the bounce in the Premier League and the board decided to act, with Gerrard appointed just four days after Smith was relieved of his duties.
The former Liverpool captain did an excellent job at Rangers, guiding the club to their first Scottish Premiership title in 10 years in 2020/21 and also making progress in Europe. Gerrard plainly has his eyes on the Liverpool job at some point in the future, but that does not mean he considers Villa a mere stepping stone. Gerrard would not have taken the job had he not believed in the club’s potential, although the focus for now will be on pulling the Villans clear of the relegation zone.
Brighton have still only lost two games all season; Liverpool and Chelsea are the only sides who have tasted defeat less often. Yet Graham Potter’s side have also gone six league games without a win.
Some of the draws in that run have been creditable – the 0-0 with Arsenal and the 2-2 at Liverpool – but Albion have underwhelmed on other occasions. They struggled to break down Newcastle last time out and seem to be finding it difficult to fashion clear-cut chances. Conversion was a bigger problem than creation last season, but Brighton rank sixth-bottom of the expected goals table this time around.
Villa will have to make do without Bertrand Traore, Trezeguet, Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba. Ezri Konsa is available again after suspension.
Brighton will be unable to call upon the services of the suspended Robert Sanchez, while Steven Alzate, Danny Welbeck and Enock Mwepu are sidelined though injury.
Kick-off is at 3pm GMT on Saturday 20 November. See below for international broadcast options.
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VPN guide
Use a VPN to watch Premier league football from outside your country
If you’re out of the country for a round of Premier League fixtures, then annoyingly your domestic on-demand services won’t work – the broadcaster knows where you are because of your IP address (boo!). You'll be blocked from watching it, which is not ideal if you’ve paid up for a subscription and still want to catch the action without resorting to illegal feeds you’ve found on Reddit.
But assistance is on hand. To get around that, all you have to do is get a Virtual Private Network (VPN), assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and t'internet, meaning the service can’t work out where you are and won't automatically block the service you've paid for. All the info going between is entirely encrypted – and that's a result.
There are plenty of good-value options out there, including:
UK TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for UK subscribers
Sky Sports and BT Sport are the two main players once again, but Amazon also have a slice of the pie in 2021/22.
US TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for US subscribers
NBC Sports Group are the Premier League rights holders, with the Peacock Premium streaming platform showing even more than the 175 games it aired last season, with other matches split between NBCSN channel, CNBC and the over-the-air NBC broadcast channel. If you pick up a fuboTV subscription for the games not on Peacock Premium, you'll be able to watch every game.
Head back to our VPN advice so you can take advantage when you're out of the country.
Canada TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Canadian subscribers
DAZN subscribers can watch every single Premier League game in 2021/22 – and it gets better. After a one-month free trial, you'll only have to pay a rolling $20-a-month fee, or make it an annual subscription of $150.
The broadcaster also has all the rights to Champions League and Europa League games in Canada, too.
Want in while you're out of Canada? Scroll back up and check out the VPN offers above.
Australia TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Australian subscribers
Optus Sport are offering every game of the Premier League season for just $14.99/month for non-subscribers, which you can get via a Fetch TV box and other friendly streaming devices.
To take advantage while you're not Down Under, follow the VPN advice towards the top of this page.
New Zealand TV rights
How to watch a Premier League live stream for New Zealand subscribers
Spark Sport are serving up all 380 games – plus various highlights and magazine shows throughout the week, as well as the Champions League – for $24.99 a month, after a seven-day free trial.
It's also available via web browsers, Apple/Android devices, Google Chromecast and some Samsung TVs, and Apple TV and Smart TV compatibility new for this season.
Check out our VPN deals to watch when you’re not in New Zealand.
