How to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea

Arsenal take on Chelsea this Boxing Day in what's shaping up to be one of the most watched football fixtures of the Premier League season. 

So for those of you planning to tune in, this guide will help you work out exactly where – and what you'll need – to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea this Christmas.

When do Arsenal play Chelsea?

Arsenal and Chelsea occupy the early evening kick-off spot, with play commencing at 17:30 GMT at the Emirates Stadium on December 26th. 

Other notable boxing day fixtures include Leicester vs Manchester United at 12:30 and Manchester City vs Newcastle at 20:00. 

How to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea using a VPN 

The best VPNs to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea

Using a VPN will help you unblock Arsenal vs Chelsea streams. We list the best VPNs below.

1. ExpressVPN - The Best VPN for watching Arsenal vs Chelsea, with thousands of servers across the globe and rapid connection speed.
TIP

In our testing we checked that all ExpressVPN plans work for Netflix. The one year plan is the best value: three months free and a 30 day risk-free trial.

2. NordVPN - A large brand offering great value at a cheap price
3. Surfshark - The cheapest secure VPN for watching the football. It's loved by its users and has a huge range of security features.
4. Private Internet Access - A reliable and widely-used VPN that can unblock an impressive number of websites.
5. CyberGhost VPN - An excellent all-rounder for watching football, with servers in all the right places.

Why do I need a VPN to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea?

Sky Sports is only available to people living in the UK and Ireland – and similarly, American over-the-top subscription services like Peacock are only accessible if you live inside the US. 

Well, unless you have a VPN that is. VPNs send all your internet traffic through one of their many private servers across the globe, masking your IP and essentially letting you pretend to be wherever any given server is located. This means it can bypass geo-restricted content. 

So if you want to access Sky Sports from outside the UK and Ireland, for example, you will first need a VPN that has servers in the UK you can connect to. However, VPNs have a multitude of other uses, including: 

• Enhancing your online privacy and security
• Unblocking Netflix shows unavailable in your country
• Removing adverts and malware 
• Improved speeds when torrenting 

Where to watch Arsenal Vs Chelsea 

Full Sky Sports subscriptions

One obvious way to watch Arsenal vs Chelsea would be to invest in a Sky Sports subscription, which is available for £25/month (approx. $33 USD) on an 18-month contract. This will give you access to 8 Sky Sports channels, all in HD. 

Alternatively, for £18/month (approx. $18 USD) you can purchase two channels – Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Premier League, which affords you access to up to 7 premier league games a week. Usually £22/month (approx. $29 USD) there is currently a 15% discount offer running.

Check out our VPN for Sky Sports article for more information about unblocking sky with a VPN. 

Sky Sports Mobile

Mobile is the cheapest route you can go down to gain access for Sky Sports. For just £5.99, (approx $7.90 USD) the monthly package includes Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports News channels. 

The second package, available for £10.99/month (approx. $14.90 USD) will allow you to access all the channels listed just above plus Sky Sports Football, cricket, Golf and F1. 

NOW TV passes 

If you just want to watch the Arsenal vs Chelsea game, or even just the festive Christmas fixtures yet don't want to be tied into a long contract, a NOW TV pass may be a better option. 

NOW TV offers daily and monthly passes for Sky Sports for £9.99 (approx. $13.20 USD) and £33.99 (approx. 44.90 USD) respectively. A day pass will afford you access to every Sky Sports channel for 24 hours, and at the moment, NOW TV are throwing in 4 months of Sky Sports Mobile access on top. 

NOW TV have recently slashed the price of their monthly pass to £25, for which customers can access all 11 Sky Sports channels and stream on three devices simultaneously with surround sound audio. 

DAZN

DAZN is a relatively new over-the-top subscription channel available in Brazil, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, Italy, United States and Japan. 

It shows premier league games in these countries, including Arsenal vs Chelsea on December 26th. DAZN offers a 30-day free trial period, and then prices start at $20/month going forward. 

Since December 1, it's also been available in the UK, but they're only showing boxing matches at the moment.  

Check out our DazN VPN article for some tips on using a VPN with the service.

Peacock 

NBCUniversal's streaming service is showing 175 out of 380 games of the 2020/21 premier league season, and all 380 on demand. Although the entire premier league schedule for the US has yet to be announced, it's likely Peacock will be showing this game and if not, Arsenal vs Chelsea will be available to watch in full shortly after the final whistle. 

Ad-supported versions of peacock can be purchased for $4.99/month, whereas an ad-free version is on offer for just $9.99/month. Peacock also offers a 7-day free trial on premium purchases, perfect for if it's just the Arsenal vs Chelsea clash you're looking to watch. 

Arsenal vs Chelsea can also be found on: 

• Sling TV's Sling Blue, which comes with a 7 day free trial 
• Hulu and FuboTV, who also run week-long free trial periods 

Can I watch Arsenal vs Chelsea online for free?

Some people choose to stream football matches from third party sites, and if they haven't paid for it, the practise is illegal and you are technically stealing.

Delays of several minutes aren't uncommon either, so if you're watching football, you may hear about goals on social media or via text message before you see them. Besides this, the main problems with illegal streams are:

• They are infested with viruses and other malware 
• They lag and constantly buffer
• Picture quality can be extremely poor
• You increase your risk of being hacked/frauded
• Your IP address could be exposed

So even if it's just a small fee, paying for legitimate access to Arsenal vs Chelsea, or any other game for that matter, is the path to a better viewing experience. 

Highlights of all Sky Sports games can be watched for free on YouTube after the game has finished. 

Arsenal vs Chelsea: buildup 

Almost a third of the way into the season, it's been two very different stories up until for London's two most successful clubs. 

After defensive mistakes littered their first few games, Frank Lampard's Chelsea side marched up the table to the champions league spots, but now the Blues sit in eighth place after another period of patchy form.

Despite the inconsistency in their first 13 games, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz seem finally be settling in, but are competing with Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud, who have 13 goals between them this season, for a starting berth. 

Despite winning all six of their Europa League group games, Arsenal's premier league form this term has been dire. They sit 15th in the table with only four wins from 14 games, and in what has come as a surprise to Arsenal fans used to watching free-flowing, attacking football, they are seriously struggling for goals.

Depending on the results between now and boxing day – both sides are scheduled to play two more premier league games – Arsenal's manager may be looking to their home match against Chelsea as a potential turning point to galvanize his team, or if poor results continue, a final chance to avoid the sack. 

Whatever the context, you can expect to see some of the finest young talent in Europe on show in this fixture, and it could have a major bearing in sculpting the seasons for both these teams. 

Conclusion 

Whatever the fixture, a VPN is essential for optimising your viewing football viewing experience. So here's a reminder of our top picks: 

1. ExpressVPN - The Best VPN for watching Arsenal vs Chelsea, with thousands of servers across the globe and rapid connection speed.
TIP

In our testing we checked that all ExpressVPN plans work for Netflix. The one year plan is the best value: three months free and a 30 day risk-free trial.

2. NordVPN - A large brand offering great value at a cheap price
3. Surfshark - The cheapest secure VPN for watching the football. It's loved by its users and has a huge range of security features.
4. Private Internet Access - A reliable and widely-used VPN that can unblock an impressive number of websites.
5. CyberGhost VPN - An excellent all-rounder for watching football, with servers in all the right places.

Get ExpressVPN: the best VPN for Football