🔗 Share this article Chris Sutton's Predictions vying with England Gaming Star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray Published: Over half an hour ago Comments: 14 This Sunday brings the first Wear-Tyne derby since 2024, but which side will celebrate – the Black Cats or the Magpies? "For most of last season, it was unthinkable Sunderland rising to the top flight and holding their own with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, never mind being above them in the table," remarked pundit Chris Sutton. "Things are very different now, and the way Sunderland play leads me to believe they've got a solid shot." Sutton is making scoreline guesses for all 380 Premier League games this season, against artificial intelligence, readers and a variety of guests. For the upcoming matchday, he faces off against England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray. Ray is going for glory for the eLions – the Football Association's official esports team – at the EA Sports FC Uefa eEuro 2025 finals tournament, which takes place at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday. You can watch Uefa's YouTube, Instagram Live and short-form video channels, as well as the official Twitch channel and its YouTube counterpart and England's Twitch. Do you agree with their scores? Feel free to submit your own projections below. The most popular scoreline picked for each game is displayed on the scoreboards at the bottom of this page. A correct result (choosing a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. An accurate scoreline earns forty points. Fifty nations took part in the European esports championship and just eight have qualified. Ray, pictured here with his coach Nick den Hamer and England Gaming team manager Denman, bears the nation's aspirations. England also have competitive gaming squads in Rocket League and Football Manager. Ray, who represents Gen City and the Premier League champions as well as England, is making his debut at the eEuros finals after successfully navigating the qualification rounds. A group of eight will represent their nations at the finals in a straight knockout, vying for a substantial cash prize and a coveted spot in the world finals play-offs, with the Danish representative Anders Vejrgang defending the title he won last year. "I'm feeling really good for it," Ray said. "I've got a really good coach alongside me and training has been going well. "Representing your country is always an honour to play for your country. Naturally when you are younger, you dream about doing it as an professional footballer, but when you pursue a career in this profession and there is an opportunity to represent England, putting the shirt on is something special. "I defeated 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 always lost to him in a tournament before. "For me he is the number one in the world so beating him in a tournament like this just provides a massive injection of confidence." Ray's footballing idol is Lionel Messi and he thinks his virtual football style is reminiscent of his hero. "I utilise a bit of flair and I like to play with a bit of vision, so I'd say that is a good comparison," he explained. "It's flattering with that comparison!" Premier League Predictions Saturday, 13 December Chelsea vs Everton Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT The Blues were impressive against Arsenal at the end of November, when they got a draw after going down to 10 men, and many thought here we go, they could possibly be title contenders. Since then, however, they were outfought by Leeds, looked flat against Bournemouth and this week got defeated by Atalanta in the Champions League. So head coach Enzo Maresca is in need of a win here to return to winning ways, but it is a tough ask because the Toffees are such a dangerous team. Their key midfielders are playing exceptionally and they have got a bit of a positive run at the moment. Based on recent performances you would likely back Everton, while the most logical prediction would probably be a draw, but I'm throwing caution to the wind. Chelsea haven't given me any real reason to back them recently, but I just have a hunch Chelsea will win this match because they are at home and they are overdue a victory. 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 interesting to see what we get from the Reds. I was delighted for Reds boss Arne Slot to get such a crucial result at Inter Milan on Tuesday after all the controversy with Mohamed Salah this week. Slot shouldn't need to put up with that drama. I know Salah has been a legend for the club but essentially Slot just wants to win games and there is nothing personal in his team selection. Liverpool changed their shape against Inter and went with a midfield diamond and two up top. The media 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. One might suggest 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 quite open too. Liverpool need to get back to stringing wins together, but I am not sure how much their energy spent at the San Siro will have affected their stamina. I've selected 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 week off 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 inconsistent, especially straight after they've played in the Champions League. It is anticipated that that trend to continue on Sunday, and their fatigue is likely to be a factor in how this game goes because of Sunderland's intensity. Their match against Arsenal demonstrated how incessant Regis le Bris's side are. They dominated the Gunners, and it was a joy to watch. Commentators talks about how Granit Xhaka has been outstanding for the Black Cats, and he has been brilliant, but Noah Sadiki, who plays alongside him, has also been one of the signings of the season and warrants praise too. I am expecting this being the best game|most exciting fixture