🔗 Share this article The Pundit's Forecasts vying with England Gaming Ace Daniel 'The Stingray' Ray Published: 36 minutes ago Comments: 14 Sunday sees the initial Wear-Tyne derby after 2024, but who will emerge victorious – Sunderland or the Magpies? "For most of last season, no one would have predicted the Wearside club earning promotion and holding their own with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, let alone being above them in the table," commented football expert Chris Sutton. "It is very different now, and the way they play makes me think they've got a real chance." The analyst is providing scoreline guesses for all 380 Premier League games this season, against 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 is being held at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday. Viewers can catch Uefa's video platform, Instagram Live and TikTok channels, as well as EA Sports FC Twitch and YouTube and the national team's Twitch. Are you in alignment with their forecasts? Feel free to submit your own guesses below. The fan-favourite scoreline picked for each game is displayed on the tables at the end of this page. A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. An accurate scoreline earns forty points. Fifty nations took part in the Uefa EA Sports FC eEuros and a mere 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 esports teams in Rocket League and Football Manager. Ray, who competes for his club side and Manchester City as well as England, is making his debut at the eEuros finals after getting through the qualifying. Eight players will play for their countries at the finals in a knockout format, playing for a $100,000 prize pool 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. "My mindset is really good for it," Ray remarked. "I've got a really good coach alongside me and preparation has been going well. "It is invariably an honour to play for your country. Obviously when you are younger, you fantasise about doing it as an real-life footballer, but when you enter this profession and there is an chance to represent England, putting the shirt on 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 never beaten him in a tournament before. "I believe he is the top competitor in the world so getting a win over him in a tournament like this just gives you a massive injection of confidence." Ray's footballing idol is Lionel Messi and he feels his game playing style is similar to his hero. "I utilise a bit of flair and creativity and I like to play with a bit of foresight, so I'd say that is a good comparison," he said. "It's flattering 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 it seemed here we go, they could potentially be challengers for the crown. However, since that game, however, they were outfought by Leeds, looked uninspired against Bournemouth and this week got beaten by Atalanta in the Champions League. So manager Enzo Maresca is in need of a win here to restore momentum, but it is a tough ask because the Merseyside club are such a potent team. Two of their stars 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 the visitors, while the most prudent prediction would likely be a draw, but I am not going to be sensible. Chelsea haven't given me any good cause to back them recently, but I just have a feeling they 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 intriguing to see what we get from Liverpool. I was delighted for Reds boss Arne Slot to get such a important victory at Inter Milan on Tuesday following all the controversy with Mohamed Salah this week. Slot shouldn't need to put up with that drama. I know Salah has been a icon for the club but at its core 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 formation and two up top. All the talk 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 says sorry. Slot's primary concern will be on winning this game, but it is a tough one. It's fair to say it is the same for most teams but I find Brighton so hard to predict. I always feel they have got a goal in them, but they are defensively susceptible 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 taken out of them. I put a couple of Brighton players in my FPL team, 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 The Wearside club have had the benefit of a free week while Newcastle had to exert themselves against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to let their lead slip away late on. With the exception of their superb 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 tiredness is likely to be a factor in how this game goes because of Sunderland's intensity. We saw how incessant Regis le Bris's side are. They overpowered 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 brilliant, 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