Chris Sutton's Projections against England Gaming Star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray

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This Sunday heralds the first Wear-Tyne derby after 2024, but which side will celebrate – Sunderland or the Magpies?

"Throughout the majority of last season, it was unthinkable Sunderland getting promoted and challenging with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, much less being above them in the table," remarked football expert Chris Sutton.

"It is very different now, and the way Sunderland play makes me think they've got a real chance."

He is offering scoreline guesses for all 380 Premier League games this season, in competition with artificial intelligence, the public and a assortment of guests.

For this weekend's fixtures, he is challenged by England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray.

Ray is going for glory for the national gaming squad – the Football Association's recognised esports team – at the EA Sports FC European esports championship finals tournament, which will occur at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

Viewers can catch Uefa's YouTube, IG Live and TikTok channels, as well as the official Twitch channel and YouTube and England's Twitch.

What are your thoughts with their scores? You can make your own predictions below.

The most popular scoreline picked for each game is displayed on the scoreboards at the bottom of this page.

A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth ten points. An accurate scoreline earns forty points.

The esports competitor alongside his trainer and team boss.
Fifty nations took part in the Uefa EA Sports FC eEuros and just eight remain. 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 the vehicular soccer game and Football Manager.

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 qualifying.

Eight players will play for their countries at the finals in a knockout format, competing for a substantial cash prize and a coveted spot in the FC Pro World Championship Play-Ins, with Denmark's Anders Vejrgang defending the title he won last year.

"I am feeling really good for it," Ray remarked. "I have a really good coach by my side and practice has been going well.

"It is invariably an honour to play for your country. Obviously when you are younger, you dream about doing it as an real-life footballer, but when you enter this profession and there is an opportunity to represent England, donning the national jersey is something incredible.

"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 top competitor in the world so getting a win over him in a tournament like this just delivers a crazy boost of confidence."

Stingray in action.
Ray's footballing idol is Lionel Messi and he thinks his in-game approach is reminiscent of his hero. "I utilise a bit of flair and creativity and I like to play with a bit of vision, so I'd say that is a good comparison," he explained. "I'm quite happy with that comparison!"

Premier League Predictions

Saturday, 13 December

Chelsea vs Everton

Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT

Chelsea were excellent against the Gunners at the end of November, when they earned a stalemate 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 turned over by Atalanta in the Champions League.

So head coach Enzo Maresca really needs a win here to restore momentum, but it won't be easy because the Toffees are such a dangerous team.

Their key midfielders are playing at the top of their game and Everton have got a bit of form at the moment.

On form you would likely back Everton, while the most sensible 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 gut instinct Chelsea will emerge victorious 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 am at 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 important victory at Inter Milan on Tuesday after all the controversy 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.

Liverpool changed their formation against Inter and went with a midfield diamond and two up top.

The media is going to be talking about whether Salah is back for this game, but the only way he is going to be reintegrated is if he apologises.

Slot's focus will be on winning this game, but it is a challenging encounter.

It's fair to say 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 defensively susceptible too.

The Merseysiders need to get back to winning consistently, but I am not sure how much their exertions at the San Siro will have affected their stamina.

I've selected a couple of Brighton players in my Fantasy Premier League side, so they will likely do poorly - but I do think they can 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

Sunderland have had the opportunity to rest while Newcastle had to battle intensely against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to be pegged back late on.

Apart from their brilliant performance against Everton a couple of weeks ago, Newcastle's away form hasn't been great, particularly straight after they've played in the Champions League.

It is anticipated that that trend to continue on Sunday, and their lack of freshness is likely to be a factor in how this game goes because of Sunderland's intensity.

Their match against Arsenal demonstrated how relentless Regis le Bris's side are. They overpowered the Gunners, and it was amazing to watch.

Commentators talks about how Granit Xhaka has been outstanding for the Black Cats, and he has been superb, but Noah Sadiki, who plays in midfield with him, has also been one of the best acquisitions and should be recognised too.

This promises to be this being the best game|most exciting fixture

Bruce Johnson
Bruce Johnson

Elara is a seasoned gambling analyst with over a decade of experience reviewing online casinos and advocating for player safety.