🔗 Share this article The Pundit's Predictions versus eSports England Ace Daniel 'Stingray' Ray Published: 36 minutes ago Comments: 14 Sunday brings the first Wear-Tyne derby after 2024, but which side will celebrate – Sunderland or Newcastle? "During the bulk of last season, no one would have predicted Sunderland rising to the top flight and holding their own with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, let alone being above them in the table," commented football expert Chris Sutton. "The situation is very different now, and the way they play convinces me they've got a real chance." Sutton is making scoreline guesses for all 380 Premier League games this season, against artificial intelligence, fans and a assortment of guests. For week 16, he faces off against England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray. Ray is going for glory for the England's esports team – the Football Association's recognised esports team – at the football simulation digital Euros finals tournament, which will occur at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday. You can watch Uefa's YouTube, IG Live and TikTok channels, as well as the official Twitch channel and YouTube and the national team's Twitch. Are you in alignment with their forecasts? Share your own predictions below. The most popular scoreline selected for each game is used in the tables at the end of this page. A correct result (selecting a win, draw or defeat) is worth ten points. An accurate scoreline earns forty points. Fifty nations took part in the European esports championship and just eight are left. Ray, pictured here with his trainer and England Gaming team manager Denman, carries the nation's aspirations. England also have esports teams in the vehicular soccer game and Football Manager. Ray, who competes for his club side and the Premier League champions as well as England, is entering the fray at the eEuros finals after passing the qualification rounds. A group of eight will play for their countries at the finals in a straight knockout, competing for a $100,000 prize pool and a coveted spot in the FC Pro World Championship Play-Ins, with the Danish representative Anders Vejrgang defending the title he won last year. "I am feeling really good for it," Ray said. "I have a really good coach by my side and preparation has been going well. "Representing your country is always 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 go into this field and there is an opportunity to represent England, donning the national jersey is something special. "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 never beaten him in a tournament before. "For me he is the number one in the world so defeating him in a tournament like this just gives you a crazy boost of confidence." Ray's sporting hero is Lionel Messi and he believes his in-game approach is comparable 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 fair," he explained. "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 Arsenal at the end of November, when they earned a stalemate after being reduced to 10 men, and it seemed here we go, they could potentially be challengers for the crown. However, since that game, however, they were beaten physically by Leeds, looked flat against Bournemouth and this week got defeated by Atalanta in the Champions League. So boss Enzo Maresca desperately requires a win here to return to winning ways, but it is a tough ask because Everton are such a threatening 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 probably back the visitors, while the most logical 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 hunch 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 Liverpool. I am really pleased for Reds boss Arne Slot to get such a crucial result at Inter Milan on Tuesday after all the discussion with Mohamed Salah this week. Slot ought not to put up with that nonsense. I know Salah has been a icon for Liverpool 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 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 brought back into the fold is if he apologises. Slot's primary concern will be on winning this game, but it is a tough one. 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 defensively susceptible too. The Merseysiders need to get back to winning consistently, but I am not sure how much their energy spent at the San Siro will have drained them. 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 The Wearside club have had the week off while Newcastle had to exert themselves against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to concede a late equaliser late on. With the exception of their excellent 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. I am expecting that tendency 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 high press. We saw how incessant Regis le Bris's side are. They dominated the Gunners, and it was amazing 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 next to him, has also been one of the top transfers and warrants praise too. This promises to be this being the best game|most exciting fixture