Aston Villa v Chelsea live stream, Sunday 26 December, 5.30pm GMT
Chelsea know they can’t afford many more slip-ups in the Premier League title race ahead of their trip to Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
The Blues were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by Wolves at the weekend, but boss Thomas Tuchel was unhappy that the game went ahead in the first place.
There have been several positive cases of Covid-19 in the Chelsea squad as the virus continues to wreak havoc on the festive fixture list in English football.
But Tuchel’s side have suffered a blip in form in December, winning just one of their last five games in all competitions.
The stalemate against Wolves was Chelsea’s second draw in a row after being held by Everton, and they will have to be at their best against a Villa side that has been revitalised by new boss Steven Gerrard.
The former Rangers manager has picked up 12 points from his first six league games in charge of the Birmingham club, a total only bettered by John Gregory’s 15 in 1998.
However, their weekend game against Burnley was one of several top-flight fixtures to be called off due to rising coronavirus cases.
In-form striker Ollie Watkins was on target in Villa’s last game, a 2-0 win at Norwich.
He has now been involved in 25 Premier League goals for the club, scoring 19 and providing six assists, which is 12 more than any other player currently in the squad.
Kick-off is at 5.30pm GMT on Sunday 26 December, 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.
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.
