🔗 Share this article The Pundit's Forecasts vying with eSports England Prodigy Daniel 'The Stingray' Ray Published: Over half an hour ago Comments: 14 Sunday heralds the initial Wear-Tyne derby since 2024, but will it be – the Black Cats or Newcastle? "For most of last season, it was unthinkable Sunderland getting promoted and being competitive with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, never mind being above them in the table," stated pundit Chris Sutton. "The situation is very different now, and the way they play makes me think they've got a real chance." Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this campaign, against artificial intelligence, readers and a assortment 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 formal esports team – at the football simulation digital Euros finals tournament, which is being held at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday. Viewers can catch Uefa's YouTube, Instagram Live and short-form video channels, as well as EA Sports FC Twitch and its YouTube counterpart and England's Twitch. Are you in alignment with their predictions? Feel free to submit your own projections below. The most popular scoreline selected for each game is displayed on the tables at the foot of this page. A correct result (selecting a win, draw or defeat) is worth ten points. The exact score earns forty points. Half a hundred countries took part in the Uefa EA Sports FC eEuros and just eight remain. Ray, shown here with his trainer and England Gaming team manager Denman, bears the eLions' hopes. England also have esports teams in the vehicular soccer game and the management simulation. Ray, who also plays his club side and the Premier League champions as well as England, is competing for the first time at the eEuros finals after successfully navigating the preliminary stage. Eight players will represent their nations at the finals in a single-elimination, playing for a substantial cash prize and a coveted 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 remarked. "I've got 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. Of course when you are younger, you fantasise about doing it as an actual footballer, but when you pursue a career in this profession and there is an chance to represent England, donning the national jersey is something special. "I beat 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 not previously defeated him in a tournament before. "For me 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 favourite real-life player is Lionel Messi and he believes his game playing style is similar to his hero. "My style involves a bit of flair and I like to play with a bit of incisive passing, so I'd say that is a good comparison," he said. "I'm quite happy with that comparison!" Premier League Forecasts Saturday, 13 December Chelsea vs Everton Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT Chelsea were outstanding against the Gunners at the end of November, when they got a draw after going down to 10 men, and I was thinking here we go, they could possibly be challengers for the crown. However, since that game, however, they were outfought by Leeds, looked flat against Bournemouth and this week got beaten by Atalanta in the Champions League. So head coach Enzo Maresca is in need of a win here to get back on track, but it will be a challenge because the Merseyside club are such a threatening team. Their key midfielders are playing really well and they have got a bit of a positive run at the moment. On form you would probably back the visitors, while the most sensible prediction would probably be a draw, but I'm throwing caution to the wind. They have not given me any real reason to back them recently, but I just have a gut instinct 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 interesting to see what we get from the Reds. I am really pleased 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 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. Everyone 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 attention 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 mercurial. 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 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 The Black Cats 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 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. The pattern suggests 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 unwavering Regis le Bris's side are. They dominated the Gunners, and it was a joy to watch. Everyone talks about how Granit Xhaka has been phenomenal 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