🔗 Share this article The Pundit's Predictions versus England Gaming Prodigy Daniel 'The Stingray' Ray Published: Half an hour ago Comments: 14 This Sunday heralds the initial Wear-Tyne derby after 2024, but which side will celebrate – the Black Cats or the Magpies? "During the bulk of last season, it was unthinkable Sunderland rising to the top flight and challenging with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, never mind being above them in the table," commented football expert Chris Sutton. "The situation is very different now, and the way Sunderland play convinces me they've got a real chance." He is offering scoreline guesses for all 380 Premier League games this campaign, in competition with AI, the public and a variety of guests. For week 16, he faces off against England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray. Ray is competing for honours for the England's esports team – the Football Association's formal esports team – at the football simulation European esports championship finals tournament, which will occur at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday. You can watch Uefa's video platform, Instagram Live and TikTok channels, as well as the official Twitch channel and YouTube and the national team's Twitch. What are your thoughts with their predictions? You can make your own guesses below. The most commonly selected scoreline picked for each game is displayed on the leaderboards at the end of this page. A correct result (choosing a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. A perfect prediction earns forty points. Half a hundred countries entered the Uefa EA Sports FC eEuros and only eight are left. Ray, shown here with his trainer and England Gaming team manager Denman, bears the team's ambitions. England also have competitive gaming squads in Rocket League 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 passing the qualification rounds. A group of eight will represent their nations at the finals in a knockout format, playing for a $100,000 prize pool and a prestigious spot in the world finals play-offs, with the Danish representative Anders Vejrgang defending the title he won last year. "My mindset is really good for it," Ray stated. "There's a really good coach with me and training has been going well. "It is invariably an honour to play for your country. Naturally when you are younger, you fantasise about doing it as an actual footballer, but when you enter this job and there is an chance to represent England, wearing the Three Lions is something incredible. "I beat Vejrgang 9-4 in qualifying to get here. I've played against him throughout the year just in practice, and in other tournaments before - but I'd always lost to him in a tournament before. "For me he is the best player in the world so defeating him in a tournament like this just gives you a massive injection of confidence." Ray's favourite real-life player is Lionel Messi and he thinks his game playing style is similar to his hero. "I play with a bit of flair and I like to play with a bit of foresight, so I'd say that is accurate," he said. "It's flattering with that comparison!" Premier League Predictions Saturday, 13 December Chelsea vs Everton Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT The London club were excellent against the Gunners at the end of November, when they earned a stalemate after being reduced to 10 men, and many thought they've turned a corner, they could potentially be challengers for the crown. In the matches following, however, they were beaten physically by Leeds, looked lethargic against Bournemouth and this week got beaten by Atalanta in the Champions League. So manager Enzo Maresca desperately requires a win here to return to winning ways, but it will be a challenge because the Toffees are such a threatening team. Their key midfielders are playing exceptionally and they have got a bit of momentum at the moment. Based on recent performances you would probably back Everton, 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 hunch Chelsea will emerge victorious because they are at home and they are due a win. 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 fascinating to see what we get from Liverpool. I am really pleased for Reds boss Arne Slot to get such a crucial result at Inter Milan on Tuesday following all the controversy with Mohamed Salah this week. Slot should not have to put up with that drama. I know Salah has been a great for the club 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 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 reintegrated is if he makes amends. 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 unpredictable. I always feel they have got a goal in them, but they are vulnerable at the back too. The Merseysiders need to get back to winning consistently, but I am not sure how much their efforts at the San Siro will have affected their stamina. I put a couple of Brighton players in my FPL team, so they will probably lose now - but I do fancy them to 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 benefit of a free week while Newcastle had to work so hard against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to concede a late equaliser late on. With the exception of 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. The pattern suggests that trend to continue on Sunday, and their fatigue is likely to be a key element in how this game goes because of their rivals' intensity. Their match against Arsenal demonstrated how unwavering Regis le Bris's side are. They overpowered the Gunners, and it was amazing to watch. Many pundits talks about how Granit Xhaka has been brilliant for the Black Cats, and he has been brilliant, but Noah Sadiki, who plays in midfield with him, has also been one of the signings of the season and should be recognised too. All signs point to this being the best game|most exciting fixture