Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream and how to watch the FA Cup fifth round for free online and on TV, team news

Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Jay Dasilva of Bristol City
(Image credit: Matt McNulty - Manchester City/Manchester City FC via Getty Images / Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream

Bristol City vs Manchester City is free to watch on ITV1 and the ITVX streaming service in the UK. The huge FA Cup fifth round clash will stream on ESPN+ in the US, and on Paramount+ in Australia. Use a VPN to watch you local stream from anywhere, if you happen to be away from home. Full details on how to watch a Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream today on TV just below.

Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream: match preview

The teams are in and Bristol City go with a strong XI as Nahki Wells, Alex Scott and Matty James all start. Sam Bell gets the nod as Wells forward partner, with ex-Chelsea centre-back Tomas Kalas in at centre-back. Andi Weimann starts on the bench. Manchester City, meanwhile, go with a mixture of first-team regulars and those members of Pep Guardiola's squad who need minutes. Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva start, along with Kalvin Phillips, Nathan Ake and Stefan Ortega in goal. Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish are on the bench. 

Bristol City welcome Premier League giants Manchester City to Ashton Gate this evening for one of this season's more intriguing FA Cup fifth round encounters. These sides met in the League Cup semi-finals five years ago, the Robins giving their illustrious opponents a scare after being an inury-time Sergio Aguero goal away from a first-leg draw before eventually falling 5-3 on aggregate. Can they go one better this time?

London buses and Bristol City penalties – you wait ages for one, then two come along all at once.  A week-and-a-half ago, the Robins had gone a frankly ridiculous 469 games without being awarded a penalty before Jay Dasilva was bundled over in the box at Sunderland for a 93rd-minute spot-kick, duly converted by the Robins' top scorer Nahki Wells for a 1-1 draw. On Saturday, the Bermuda international scored again from the spot – their second penalty in as many games after going a year-and-a-half without one – to beat Hull 1-0. Those fixtures are the latest in a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions that dates back to a Boxing Day defeat to West Brom which consigned the Robins to the Championship drop zone. The 19-year-old Channel Island playmaker Alex Scott – nicknamed the Guernsey Grealish for his similarities to one of tonight's opponents – has shone throughout that spell. Nigel Pearson's 13th-placed side are increasingly gnarly and tough to beat and have beaten Swansea and gained revenge against West Brom to reach this stage of the FA Cup. Pull off an upset and they'll be in the quarter-finals for the first time since 1974.

Still fighting on three fronts, Manchester City have certainly reached the FA Cup fifth round the hard way. City have met Chelsea and Premier League leaders Arsenal already in this competition, but there's little likelihood of Pep Guardiola taking his foot off the gas tonight with a quarter-final place up for grabs. Though 33-goal top scorer Erling Haaland is likely to get a rest, City's squad strength is such that World Cup winner Julian Alvarez should lead the line in the Norwegian's place after both found the net in the 4-1 shellacking of Bournemouth at the weekend. City's only defeats this term have come against Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Southampton in the Carabao Cup, that latter loss serving as inspiration for no repeat against inferior opposition on paper. 

Bristol City vs Manchester City kicks off at 8pm GMT / 3pm EST tonight, Tuesday 27th February, at Ashton Gate. It's free to watch in the UK. Make sure you know how to watch a Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream from anywhere.

Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream

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You can watch a free Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream on ITV 1. It's also available to watch online for free in HD on ITVX (STV in Scotland).

UK football fans, whether at home or in another country, can tune into the FA Cup online for free on ITVX. Outside the UK at the moment? Use a VPN to watch ITVX from abroad.

We recommend ExpressVPN as it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Full details on how to use a VPN below.

Watch Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you. You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though.

It's a straightforward piece of software which sets your device to appear as if it's in the right country, allowing you to watch any Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream from anywhere in the world.

We rate ExpressVPN as the best VPN for the FA Cup. It offers a 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days

Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days
ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee with its VPN service. You can use it to watch the FA Cup live streams on your mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, games console and more. There's 24/7 customer support and three months free when you sign-up. Try it – it's easier than you think.

How to use a VPN for Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream

1. Install the VPN of your choice. ExpressVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. For Bristol City vs Manchester City in the FA Cup, you may wish to choose 'UK' for ITVX.

3. Then head over to ITVX on your browser or device and enjoy the free Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream!

US soccer stream: watch Bristol City vs Manchester City

In the US, ESPN+ has the TV rights to the Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream. ESPN+ is a streaming-only service carries a wealth of top sports content including MLB, NHL, MLS, Top Rank Boxing events and Grand Slam tennis as well as FA Cup soccer. You can subscribe to ESPN Plus on its own or as part of the great-value Disney Bundle along with Hulu ($12.99 a month with ads).

Remember, though, if you're a UK citizen abroad, you can use a VPN to watch the FA Cup free on ITVX.

Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream on ESPN+ ($9.99)

Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream on ESPN+ ($9.99)
Click through to buy your ESPN+ subscription and watch all ESPN+ sports events live streams. Arguably the best deal, however, is the Disney Bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for just $12.99 per month (with ads) or $19.99 (ad-free).

Watch Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream in Australia

If you're in Australia, you can watch a Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream on Paramount Plus as well as the rest of the FA Cup games this season.

Stuck away from your home in Oz at the moment? You'll need to use a VPN to access your Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream on Paramount Plus without being geo-blocked.

Bristol City vs Manchester City Paramount+ 7-day trial

Bristol City vs Manchester City Paramount+ 7-day trial
Stream the FA Cup, plus tonnes of TV boxsets and classic movies, with this Paramount+ free trial. Subscription costs AU$8.99 a month thereafter. Cancel anytime. You beauty!

Bristol City vs Manchester City live stream kick-off times

Global Bristol City vs Manchester City kick-off times

  • UK: 8pm
  • Central Europe: 9pm
  • USA (EDT/PST): 3pm / 12pm
  • Australia: 7am (Wednesday)
  • New Zealand: 9am (Wednesday)

FA Cup fifth round – dates & TV times

All times 7.45pm GMT (UK time) unless otherwise stated

Tuesday 28th February
Stoke City vs Brighton & Hove Albion, 7.15pm
Leicester City vs Blackburn Rovers, 7.30pm
Fulham vs Leeds United
Bristol City vs Manchester City, 8pm

Wednesday 1st March
Southampton vs Grimsby Town, 7.15pm
Burnley vs Fleetwood Town, 7.30pm
Manchester United vs West Ham United
Sheffield United vs Tottenham Hotspur, 7.55pm

Andy Murray
Contributor

Andy Murray is an award-winning sports writer and columnist. A fluent Spanish speaker and former semi-professional footballer, he was senior staff writer of world-leading football magazine FourFourTwo for seven years and continues to write and edit for them, national newspapers, websites and Premier League clubs. He is not a famous tennis player.