🔗 Share this article Chris Sutton's Predictions versus eSports England Star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray Published: Over half an hour ago Comments: 14 The weekend sees the initial Wear-Tyne derby since 2024, but who will emerge victorious – the Black Cats or the Magpies? "For most of last season, you couldn't have imagined Sunderland rising to the top flight and challenging with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, never mind being above them in the table," commented football expert Chris Sutton. "The situation is very different now, and the way Sunderland play makes me think they've got a genuine opportunity." The analyst is providing scoreline guesses for all 380 Premier League games this season, in competition with AI, readers and a range of guests. For this weekend's fixtures, he is challenged by England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray. Ray is vying for victory for the eLions – the Football Association's official esports team – at the gaming title digital Euros finals tournament, which is being held at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday. You can watch Uefa's video platform, IG Live and short-form video channels, as well as EA Sports FC Twitch and its YouTube counterpart and the national team's Twitch. Are you in alignment with their forecasts? You can make your own projections below. The fan-favourite scoreline chosen for each game is displayed on the tables at the bottom of this page. Predicting the right outcome (choosing a win, draw or defeat) is worth ten points. The exact score earns forty points. Fifty nations competed in the European esports championship and only eight have qualified. Ray, shown here with his trainer and England Gaming team manager Denman, carries the eLions' hopes. England also have competitive gaming squads in Rocket League and the management simulation. Ray, who also plays his club side and the Premier League champions as well as England, is entering the fray at the eEuros finals after passing the qualification rounds. The final eight competitors will fly the flag at the finals in a straight knockout, vying for a six-figure prize fund and a highly sought-after spot in the FC Pro World Championship Play-Ins, with Denmark's Anders Vejrgang looking to retain the title he won last year. "I am feeling really good for it," Ray stated. "There's a really good coach by my side and preparation has been going well. "It's always an honour to play for your country. Naturally when you are younger, you dream about doing it as an actual footballer, but when you enter this job and there is an opportunity to represent England, putting the shirt on is something incredible. "I overcame Vejrgang 9-4 in qualifying to get here. I've played against him recently just in practice, and in other tournaments before - but I'd not previously defeated him in a tournament before. "For me he is the number one in the world so beating him in a tournament like this just delivers a huge surge of confidence." Ray's footballing idol is Lionel Messi and he thinks his game playing style is reminiscent of his hero. "My style involves a bit of skill and I like to play with a bit of foresight, so I'd say that is fair," he explained. "I'm pleased with that comparison!" Premier League Forecasts Saturday, 13 December Chelsea vs Everton Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT Chelsea were excellent against Arsenal at the end of November, when they got a draw after going down to 10 men, and I was thinking this is it, they could potentially be challengers for the crown. Since then, however, they were beaten physically by Leeds, looked uninspired against Bournemouth and this week got beaten by Atalanta in the Champions League. So manager Enzo Maresca desperately requires a win here to get back on track, but it won't be easy because the Toffees are such a dangerous team. Their key midfielders are playing exceptionally and they have got a bit of form at the moment. Current evidence suggests you would probably back the visitors, while the most sensible prediction would probably be a draw, but I'm going against logic. Chelsea haven't given me any good cause to back them recently, but I just have a gut instinct they will take this one because they are at home and they are in need of three points. 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 am at this game and it will be fascinating to see what we get from Liverpool. It was great to see for Reds boss Arne Slot to get such a crucial result at Inter Milan on Tuesday following all the discussion with Mohamed Salah this week. Slot shouldn't need to put up with that nonsense. I know Salah has been a great for the club but fundamentally Slot just wants to win games and there is no bias in his team selection. They changed their formation against Inter and went with a midfield diamond formation and two up top. All the talk is going to be talking about whether Salah is selected for this game, but the only way he is going to be reintegrated is if he makes amends. Slot's attention will be on winning this game, but it is a tough one. One might suggest it is the same for most teams but I find Brighton so unpredictable. I always feel they have got a goal in them, but they are vulnerable at the back too. Liverpool need to get back to winning consistently, but I am not sure how much their exertions at the San Siro will have drained them. I put a couple of Brighton players in my FPL team, 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 Black Cats have had the opportunity to rest while Newcastle had to exert themselves against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to concede a late equaliser late on. Apart from their excellent performance against Everton a couple of weeks ago, Newcastle's away form has been poor, especially straight after they've played in the Champions League. I am expecting that pattern to continue on Sunday, and their tiredness is likely to be a significant issue in how this game goes because of Sunderland's high press. Their match against Arsenal demonstrated how incessant Regis le Bris's side are. They dominated the Gunners, and it was a joy to watch. Everyone talks about how Granit Xhaka has been phenomenal for the Black Cats, and he has been excellent, but Noah Sadiki, who plays next to him, has also been one of the top transfers and deserves some attention too. I am expecting this being the best game|most exciting fixture