Southampton v Aston Villa live stream, Sky Sports, Friday 5 November, 8pm GMT
Aston Villa will be looking to end their losing run when they face Southampton on Friday night.
A 4-1 reverse against West Ham last weekend means Dean Smith's side have now suffered four defeats on the bounce in the Premier League. Smith might argue that the debatable red card shown to Ezri Konsa shortly after half-time was the decisive moment of the match, but West Ham were already 2-1 up at that point and had been the better team when there was numerical parity.
The Villa boss shifted to a 4-3-3 formation for the visit of the Hammers after an experiment with a 3-5-2 system that patently did not suit summer signings Emi Buendia and Leon Bailey.
Yet as the 4-1 scoreline suggests, Villa's problems run deeper than on-field configurations. A post-Jack Grealish slump was always possible, and it is now up to Smith to find a formula which gets Villa up the table. Three points above the relegation zone is not where they expected to be after 10 games of the season.
Southampton, by contrast, head into Friday's game in decent form. A return of seven points from the last nine available means the Saints will climb into the top half, at least temporarily, if they beat Villa.
Ralph Hasenhuttl will be pleased with the solidity his side have shown of late. Southampton kept their fourth clean sheet of the campaign in a 1-0 victory over Watford last time out, while they have conceded seven fewer goals than their upcoming opponents. Villa will not find it easy to break down this stubborn Saints side.
Smith remains without Bertrand Traore, while Douglas Luiz, Danny Ings and Trezeguet are also out with injury. Konsa is suspended and will be replaced in the backline by Tyrone Mings. Jacob Ramsey has been passed fit to feature, but Morgan Sanson and Jaden Philogene-Bidace will need to be assessed.
Southampton will have to make do without Jack Stephens, but Armando Broja could be fit to start up front.
Kick-off is at 8pm GMT on Friday 5 November, and UK viewers can watch live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event. 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.
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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.
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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.
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Australia TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Australian subscribers
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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.
