Chris Sutton's Projections against England Gaming Prodigy Daniel 'Stingray' Ray

An illustrative picture for the feature
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This Sunday brings the initial Wear-Tyne derby after 2024, but will it be – Sunderland or the Magpies?

"Throughout the majority of last season, you couldn't have imagined the Wearside club earning promotion and holding their own with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, never mind being above them in the table," commented football expert Chris Sutton.

"Things are very different now, and the way they play convinces me they've got a real chance."

The analyst is providing scoreline guesses for all 380 Premier League games this campaign, in competition with AI, the public and a assortment of guests.

For this weekend's fixtures, he faces off against England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray.

Ray is going for glory for the national gaming squad – the Football Association's recognised esports team – at the EA Sports FC digital Euros finals tournament, which is being held at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

You can watch Uefa's video platform, Instagram Live and short-form video channels, as well as the official Twitch channel and YouTube and the national team's Twitch.

Are you in alignment with their scores? You can make your own predictions below.

The most commonly selected scoreline selected for each game is featured in the scoreboards at the foot of this page.

Predicting the right outcome (selecting a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. An accurate scoreline earns 40 points.

Daniel 'Stingray' Ray with his coach and team boss.
Numerous entrants entered the European esports championship and only eight are left. Ray, pictured here with his trainer and England Gaming team manager Denman, bears the eLions' hopes. England also have competitive gaming squads 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 entering the fray at the eEuros finals after successfully navigating the preliminary stage.

The final eight competitors will play for their countries at the finals in a knockout format, playing for a $100,000 prize pool and a prestigious spot in the global championship qualifiers, with the Danish representative Anders Vejrgang looking to retain the title he won last year.

"My mindset is really good for it," Ray said. "I have a really good coach by my side and training has been going well.

"It is invariably an honour to play for your country. Of course when you are younger, you fantasise about doing it as an real-life footballer, but when you go into this profession and there is an opportunity to represent England, wearing the Three Lions is something unique.

"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.

"For me he is the best player in the world so defeating him in a tournament like this just provides a huge surge of confidence."

Stingray competing.
Ray's footballing idol is Lionel Messi and he feels his game playing style is reminiscent of his hero. "I utilise a bit of flair and I like to play with a bit of foresight, so I'd say that is fair," he explained. "I'm pleased with that comparison!"

Premier League Weekend Preview

Saturday, 13 December

Chelsea vs Everton

Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT

Chelsea were outstanding against Arsenal at the end of November, when they earned a stalemate after being reduced to 10 men, and many thought here we go, they could potentially be challengers for the crown.

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

So head coach Enzo Maresca desperately requires a win here to get back on track, but it is a tough ask because the Merseyside club are such a potent team.

Their key midfielders are playing exceptionally and they have got a bit of form at the moment.

On form you would probably back the visitors, while the most sensible prediction would probably be a draw, but I'm going against logic.

They have not given me any real reason to back them recently, but I just have a gut instinct they 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 was delighted for Reds boss Arne Slot to get such a great win at Inter Milan on Tuesday following all the discussion with Mohamed Salah this week.

Slot should not have to put up with that nonsense. I know Salah has been a great for Liverpool but fundamentally Slot just wants to win games and there is no ulterior motive in his team selection.

Liverpool changed their shape 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 reintegrated is if he says sorry.

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

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 stringing wins together, but I am not sure how much their energy spent at the San Siro will have taken out of them.

I put a couple of Brighton players in my Fantasy Premier League side, so they will likely do poorly - 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 opportunity to rest while Newcastle had to battle intensely against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to be pegged back late on.

Apart from their brilliant performance against Everton a couple of weeks ago, Newcastle's away form has been inconsistent, particularly straight after they've played in the Champions League.

The pattern suggests that pattern to continue on Sunday, and their fatigue is likely to be a key element in how this game goes because of Sunderland's energetic style.

We saw how incessant Regis le Bris's side are. They dominated the Gunners, and it was incredible to watch.

Many pundits talks about how Granit Xhaka has been phenomenal 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

Courtney Kelly
Courtney Kelly

A tech strategist with over a decade of experience in UK digital transformation and startup ecosystems.