🔗 Share this article Sutton's Projections vying with eSports England Ace Daniel 'Stingray' Ray Published: Over half an hour ago Comments: 14 Sunday sees the initial Wear-Tyne derby after 2024, but who will emerge victorious – Sunderland or Newcastle? "For most of last season, it was unthinkable Sunderland earning promotion and holding their own with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, let alone being above them in the table," stated analyst Chris Sutton. "The situation is very different now, and the way they play convinces me they've got a solid shot." He is offering forecasts for all 380 Premier League games this season, in competition with AI, the public and a range of guests. For week 16, he takes on England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray. Ray is competing for honours for the England's esports team – the Football Association's official esports team – at the gaming title digital Euros finals tournament, which takes place at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday. Viewers can catch Uefa's YouTube, Instagram Live and short-form video channels, as well as the official Twitch channel and its YouTube counterpart and the national team's Twitch. What are your thoughts with their predictions? You can make your own predictions below. The fan-favourite scoreline chosen for each game is used in the leaderboards at the foot of this page. A correct result (selecting a win, draw or defeat) is worth ten points. An accurate scoreline earns forty points. Numerous entrants competed in the Uefa EA Sports FC eEuros and only eight are left. Ray, pictured here with his trainer and England Gaming team manager Denman, bears the team's ambitions. England also have competitive gaming squads in the vehicular soccer game and Football Manager. Ray, who represents Gen City and Manchester City as well as England, is competing for the first time at the eEuros finals after passing the preliminary stage. Eight players will represent their nations at the finals in a knockout format, vying 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. "I'm feeling really good for it," Ray said. "I've got 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 imagine doing it as an real-life footballer, but when you go into this field and there is an opportunity to represent England, wearing the Three Lions is something incredible. "I defeated 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. "In my opinion he is the number one in the world so defeating him in a tournament like this just delivers a crazy boost of confidence." Ray's footballing idol is Lionel Messi and he thinks his game playing style is comparable to his hero. "I utilise a bit of skill and I like to play with a bit of incisive passing, 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 The London club were excellent against Arsenal at the end of November, when they secured a point after being reduced to 10 men, and I was thinking they've turned a corner, they could possibly be title contenders. However, since that game, however, they were beaten physically by Leeds, looked uninspired 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 restore momentum, but it won't be easy because Everton are such a potent team. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye are playing exceptionally and they have got a bit of momentum at the moment. Current evidence suggests you would probably back the visitors, while the most sensible prediction would likely be a draw, but I am not going to be sensible. They have not given me any real reason to back them recently, but I just have a gut instinct Chelsea will take this one 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'll be at this game and it will be fascinating to see what we get from the Reds. It was great to see for Reds boss Arne Slot to get such a crucial result at Inter Milan on Tuesday after all the stuff with Mohamed Salah this week. Slot ought not to put up with that drama. I know Salah has been a legend for Liverpool but essentially Slot just wants to win games and there is nothing personal in his team selection. Liverpool changed their tactical setup 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 apologises. Slot's primary concern will be on winning this game, but it is a difficult fixture. You could argue 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 quite open too. Liverpool need to get back to a consistent run of form, but I am not sure how much their exertions at the San Siro will have affected their stamina. I have whacked a couple of Brighton players in my Fantasy Premier League side, so they will almost certainly blank - 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 Sunderland have had the week off while Newcastle had to work so hard against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to concede a late equaliser late on. Aside from their brilliant performance against Everton a couple of weeks ago, Newcastle's away form has been poor, particularly straight after they've played in the Champions League. It is anticipated that that pattern to continue on Sunday, and their lack of freshness is likely to be a key element in how this game goes because of Sunderland's intensity. We saw how unwavering Regis le Bris's side are. They bullied 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 excellent, but Noah Sadiki, who plays alongside him, has also been one of the top transfers and deserves some attention too. This promises to be this being the best game|most exciting fixture