🔗 Share this article Chris Sutton's Predictions versus eSports England Prodigy Daniel 'The Stingray' Ray Published: Half an hour ago Comments: 14 Sunday sees the first Wear-Tyne derby since 2024, but who will emerge victorious – Sunderland or the Magpies? "For most of last season, it was unthinkable Sunderland rising to the top flight and being competitive with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, much less being above them in the table," commented pundit Chris Sutton. "Things are very different now, and the way Sunderland play leads me to believe they've got a genuine opportunity." He is offering forecasts for all 380 Premier League games this season, in competition with artificial intelligence, fans and a range of guests. For the upcoming matchday, he is challenged by England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray. Ray is competing for honours for the eLions – the Football Association's official esports team – at the football simulation Uefa eEuro 2025 finals tournament, which takes place at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday. The action will be streamed on Uefa's YouTube, IG Live and short-form video channels, as well as EA Sports FC Twitch and YouTube and the national team's Twitch. Do you agree with their forecasts? Share your own predictions below. The most commonly selected scoreline chosen for each game is featured in the leaderboards at the bottom of this page. A correct result (selecting a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. A perfect prediction earns 40 points. Fifty nations competed in the Uefa EA Sports FC eEuros and only eight have qualified. Ray, seen here with his coach Nick den Hamer and England Gaming team manager Denman, carries the team's ambitions. England also have competitive gaming squads in Rocket League and the management simulation. Ray, who competes for his club side and Manchester City as well as England, is entering the fray at the eEuros finals after passing the preliminary stage. A group of eight will represent their nations at the finals in a knockout format, playing for a $100,000 prize pool and a highly sought-after spot in the global championship qualifiers, with Denmark's Anders Vejrgang defending the title he won last year. "I am feeling really good for it," Ray stated. "I've got a really good coach alongside me and preparation has been going well. "It's always an honour to play for your country. Of course when you are younger, you dream about doing it as an actual footballer, but when you enter this field and there is an chance to represent England, donning the national jersey is something incredible. "I overcame Vejrgang 9-4 in qualifying to get here. I've played against him over the course of the season just in practice, and in other tournaments before - but I'd never beaten him in a tournament before. "In my opinion he is the best player in the world so defeating him in a tournament like this just provides a huge surge of confidence." Ray's favourite real-life player is Lionel Messi and he thinks his virtual football style is reminiscent of his hero. "I utilise a bit of skill and I like to play with a bit of incisive passing, so I'd say that is a good comparison," he said. "I'm quite happy with that comparison!" Premier League Weekend Preview Saturday, 13 December Chelsea vs Everton Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT The London club were excellent against the Gunners at the end of November, when they earned a stalemate after being reduced to 10 men, and many thought they've turned a corner, they could possibly be challengers for the crown. In the matches following, however, they were beaten physically by Leeds, looked uninspired against Bournemouth and this week got beaten by Atalanta in the Champions League. So boss Enzo Maresca desperately requires a win here to return to winning ways, but it will be a challenge because the Merseyside club are such a threatening team. Two of their stars are playing exceptionally and they have got a bit of a positive run at the moment. Current evidence suggests you would likely back Everton, while the most prudent prediction would likely be a draw, but I am not going to be sensible. The Blues have failed to given me any good cause to back them recently, but I just have a feeling Chelsea will win this match because they are at home and they are due a win. Sutton's prediction: 2-1 Stingray's prediction: With this being at the Bridge, I am going to back Chelsea. I think they will start off really well and go 2-0 up, then Everton will nick one back but then Chelsea score late. 3-1 AI's prediction: 2-0 Liverpool vs Brighton Anfield, 15:00 GMT I'm attending this game and it will be fascinating to see what we get from Liverpool. I was delighted for Reds boss Arne Slot to get such a great win at Inter Milan on Tuesday after all the stuff with Mohamed Salah this week. Slot should not have to put up with that drama. I know Salah has been a legend for Liverpool but essentially Slot just wants to win games and there is no ulterior motive in his team selection. Liverpool changed their tactical setup against Inter and went with a midfield diamond formation and two up top. Everyone is going to be talking about whether Salah is included for this game, but the only way he is going to be brought back into the fold is if he makes amends. Slot's primary concern will be on winning this game, but it is a difficult fixture. You could argue it is the same for most teams but I find Brighton so mercurial. I always feel they have got a goal in them, but they are defensively susceptible too. Liverpool need to get back to a consistent run of form, but I am not sure how much their efforts at the San Siro will have affected their stamina. I have whacked a couple of Brighton players in my Fantasy Premier League side, so they will likely do poorly - but I do fancy get something at Anfield. Sutton's prediction: 2-2 Stingray's prediction: This is a game which is going to give Liverpool a bit more of their confidence back. Obviously they had a good win in midweek and they can build more momentum here. 2-1 AI's prediction: 3-1 Sunday, 14 December Sunderland vs Newcastle Stadium of Light, 14:00 GMT The Wearside club have had the benefit of a free week while Newcastle had to work so hard against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to let their lead slip away late on. Apart from their superb performance against Everton a couple of weeks ago, Newcastle's away form has been poor, particularly straight after they've played in the Champions League. The pattern suggests that pattern to continue on Sunday, and their tiredness is likely to be a key element in how this game goes because of Sunderland's energetic style. We saw how incessant Regis le Bris's side are. They dominated the Gunners, and it was incredible to watch. Commentators talks about how Granit Xhaka has been brilliant for the Black Cats, and he has been excellent, but Noah Sadiki, who plays next to him, has also been one of the best acquisitions and should be recognised too. I am expecting this being the best game|most exciting fixture