Sutton's Forecasts vying with English Gaming Prodigy Daniel 'Stingray' Ray

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This Sunday sees the first Wear-Tyne derby after 2024, but who will emerge victorious – the Black Cats or the Magpies?

"During the bulk of last season, you couldn't have imagined the Wearside club earning promotion and being competitive with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, much less being above them in the table," commented football expert Chris Sutton.

"It is very different now, and the way Sunderland play convinces me they've got a real chance."

The analyst is providing predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against artificial intelligence, fans and a variety of guests.

For this weekend's fixtures, he takes on England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray.

Ray is vying for victory for the eLions – the Football Association's recognised esports team – at the gaming title Uefa eEuro 2025 finals tournament, which takes place at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

The action will be streamed on Uefa's video platform, Instagram Live and short-form video channels, as well as EA Sports FC Twitch and YouTube and England's Twitch.

What are your thoughts with their predictions? Share your own predictions below.

The most commonly selected scoreline selected for each game is used in the tables at the bottom of this page.

Predicting the right outcome (choosing a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. A perfect prediction earns 40 points.

The England Gaming star alongside his trainer and manager.
Half a hundred countries entered the European esports championship and just eight remain. Ray, pictured here with his trainer and England Gaming team manager Denman, carries the team's ambitions. England also have esports teams in Rocket League and Football Manager.

Ray, who also plays Gen City and the Premier League champions as well as England, is competing for the first time at the eEuros finals after passing the qualification rounds.

Eight players will fly the flag at the finals in a single-elimination, vying for a substantial cash prize and a highly sought-after spot in the global championship qualifiers, with Denmark's Anders Vejrgang defending the title he won last year.

"My mindset is really good for it," Ray remarked. "I've got a really good coach with me and preparation has been going well.

"It's always an honour to play for your country. Obviously when you are younger, you imagine doing it as an real-life footballer, but when you go into this profession and there is an opportunity 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 throughout the year 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 gives you a crazy boost of confidence."

Daniel Ray competing.
Ray's favourite real-life player is Lionel Messi and he believes his game playing style is similar to his hero. "I play with 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. "I'm pleased with that comparison!"

Premier League Forecasts

Saturday, 13 December

Chelsea vs Everton

Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT

The London club were impressive against the Gunners at the end of November, when they earned a stalemate after going down to 10 men, and I was thinking this is it, they could potentially be challengers for the crown.

Since then, however, they were overpowered by Leeds, looked flat against Bournemouth and this week got beaten by Atalanta in the Champions League.

So manager Enzo Maresca really needs a win here to get back on track, but it won't be easy because Everton are such a threatening team.

Their key midfielders are playing really well and Everton have got a bit of momentum at the moment.

On form you would probably back Everton, while the most logical prediction would likely be a draw, but I am not going to be sensible.

The Blues have failed to given me any real reason to back them recently, but I just have a hunch Chelsea will win this match 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 interesting to see what we get from the Reds.

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

Slot shouldn't need to put up with that distraction. I know Salah has been a legend for Liverpool but fundamentally Slot just wants to win games and there is no ulterior motive in his team selection.

Liverpool changed their tactical setup against Inter and went with a midfield diamond and two up top.

Everyone is going to be talking about whether Salah is selected for this game, but the only way he is going to be brought back into the fold is if he says sorry.

Slot's primary concern will be on winning this game, but it is a tough one.

One might suggest 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.

The Merseysiders need to get back to winning consistently, but I am not sure how much their exertions 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 opportunity to rest 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 poor, particularly straight after they've played in the Champions League.

It is anticipated that that tendency to continue on Sunday, and their fatigue is likely to be a significant issue 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 brilliant for the Black Cats, and he has been brilliant, but Noah Sadiki, who plays next to him, has also been one of the signings of the season and warrants praise too.

This promises to be this being the best game|most exciting fixture

Derek Jackson
Derek Jackson

A tech entrepreneur and writer with over a decade of experience in digital transformation and startup growth strategies.