Chris Sutton's Predictions versus eSports England Ace Daniel 'The Stingray' Ray

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The weekend heralds the first Wear-Tyne derby after 2024, but who will emerge victorious – Sunderland or the Magpies?

"Throughout the majority of last season, it was unthinkable the Wearside club earning promotion and holding their own with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, never mind being above them in the table," commented pundit Chris Sutton.

"The situation is very different now, and the way they play leads me to believe they've got a genuine opportunity."

The analyst is providing scoreline guesses for all 380 Premier League games this campaign, against artificial intelligence, the public and a range of guests.

For week 16, he is challenged by England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray.

Ray is going for glory for the national gaming squad – the Football Association's formal esports team – at the EA Sports FC digital Euros finals tournament, which is being held at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

The action will be streamed on 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 predictions? Feel free to submit your own projections below.

The most popular scoreline chosen for each game is featured in the tables at the foot of this page.

Getting the win/draw/loss right (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth ten points. An accurate scoreline earns 40 points.

The esports competitor with his coach and team boss.
Fifty nations competed in the European esports championship and a mere eight remain. Ray, seen here with his coach Nick den Hamer and England Gaming team manager Denman, holds the team's ambitions. England also have esports teams in the vehicular soccer game and the management simulation.

Ray, who represents his club side and Manchester City as well as England, is making his debut at the eEuros finals after getting through the preliminary stage.

Eight players will represent their nations at the finals in a single-elimination, competing for a six-figure prize fund and a highly sought-after spot in the FC Pro World Championship Play-Ins, with the Danish representative Anders Vejrgang defending the title he won last year.

"I'm feeling really good for it," Ray said. "I have a really good coach with me and practice has been going well.

"Representing your country is always an honour to play for your country. Obviously when you are younger, you fantasise about doing it as an professional footballer, but when you pursue a career in this profession and there is an opportunity 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 recently just in practice, and in other tournaments before - but I'd always lost to him in a tournament before.

"In my opinion he is the number one in the world so defeating him in a tournament like this just delivers a massive injection of confidence."

Stingray playing.
Ray's favourite real-life player is Lionel Messi and he believes his virtual football style is similar to his hero. "I play with a bit of skill and I like to play with a bit of vision, so I'd say that is fair," he said. "I'm quite happy with that comparison!"

Premier League Weekend Preview

Saturday, 13 December

Chelsea vs Everton

Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT

Chelsea were outstanding against Arsenal at the end of November, when they got a draw after being reduced to 10 men, and it seemed they've turned a corner, they could possibly be title contenders.

In the matches following, however, they were outfought by Leeds, looked lethargic against Bournemouth and this week got turned over 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 Merseyside club are such a potent team.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye are playing at the top of their game and they have got a bit of form at the moment.

Current evidence suggests you would likely back Everton, while the most prudent prediction would probably be a draw, but I'm going against logic.

They have not given me any compelling evidence to back them recently, but I just have a gut instinct they will emerge victorious 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'm attending this game and it will be intriguing to see what we get from Liverpool.

I am really pleased for Reds boss Arne Slot to get such a important victory at Inter Milan on Tuesday after all the stuff with Mohamed Salah this week.

Slot ought not to put up with that distraction. I know Salah has been a legend for the club but at its core Slot just wants to win games and there is nothing personal in his team selection.

They changed their formation 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 reintegrated is if he makes amends.

Slot's attention 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 stringing wins together, but I am not sure how much their energy spent at the San Siro will have taken out of them.

I have whacked a couple of Brighton players in my Fantasy Premier League side, so they will almost certainly blank - 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

The Black Cats have had the week off while Newcastle had to battle intensely against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to be pegged back late on.

With the exception of their brilliant 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 pattern to continue on Sunday, and their fatigue is likely to be a factor in how this game goes because of Sunderland's energetic style.

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

Everyone 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 top transfers and warrants praise too.

All signs point to this being the best game|most exciting fixture

Jennifer Bishop
Jennifer Bishop

A seasoned journalist with a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for emerging trends in media and culture.