Chris Sutton's Predictions against eSports England Ace Daniel 'The Stingray' Ray

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

"For most of last season, you couldn't have imagined the Wearside club rising to the top flight and challenging with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, never mind being above them in the table," remarked pundit Chris Sutton.

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

He is offering predictions for all 380 Premier League games this campaign, against artificial intelligence, the public 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 national gaming squad – the Football Association's official esports team – at the football simulation digital Euros finals tournament, which is being held at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

The action will be streamed on Uefa's YouTube, Instagram 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 scores? Share your own guesses below.

The most popular scoreline picked for each game is used in the tables at the foot of this page.

A correct result (choosing a win, draw or defeat) is worth ten points. An accurate scoreline earns 40 points.

Daniel 'Stingray' Ray with his coach and manager.
Numerous entrants took part in the Uefa EA Sports FC eEuros and a mere eight are left. Ray, seen 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 Football Manager.

Ray, who represents Gen City and Manchester City as well as England, is competing for the first time at the eEuros finals after getting through the preliminary stage.

The final eight competitors will fly the flag at the finals in a knockout format, competing for a substantial cash prize and a coveted spot in the FC Pro World Championship Play-Ins, with the Danish representative Anders Vejrgang looking to retain the title he won last year.

"I am feeling really good for it," Ray stated. "I've got a really good coach by my side and practice has been going well.

"It's always an honour to play for your country. Naturally when you are younger, you dream about doing it as an actual footballer, but when you enter this field and there is an chance 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 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.

"In my opinion he is the top competitor in the world so beating him in a tournament like this just gives you a massive injection of confidence."

Daniel Ray playing.
Ray's sporting hero is Lionel Messi and he feels his game playing style is comparable to his hero. "I play with a bit of skill and I like to play with a bit of incisive passing, so I'd say that is accurate," he said. "I'm quite happy with that comparison!"

Premier League Predictions

Saturday, 13 December

Chelsea vs Everton

Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT

Chelsea were outstanding against the Gunners at the end of November, when they secured a point after being reduced to 10 men, and it seemed they've turned a corner, they could potentially be challengers for the crown.

However, since that game, however, they were overpowered by Leeds, looked lethargic against Bournemouth and this week got defeated 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 the Toffees are such a threatening team.

Their key midfielders 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 sensible prediction would probably be a draw, but I am not going to be sensible.

Chelsea haven't given me any real reason to back them recently, but I just have a hunch 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 intriguing to see what we get from the Reds.

It was great to see 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 legend for Liverpool but essentially Slot just wants to win games and there is no bias in his team selection.

They changed their formation against Inter and went with a midfield diamond and two up top.

All the talk 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 focus 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 energy spent 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 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 excellent 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 pattern to continue on Sunday, and their lack of freshness is likely to be a factor in how this game goes because of their rivals' energetic style.

It was evident how incessant Regis le Bris's side are. They dominated the Gunners, and it was amazing to watch.

Commentators talks about how Granit Xhaka has been phenomenal for the Black Cats, and he has been superb, but Noah Sadiki, who plays alongside him, has also been one of the best acquisitions and deserves some attention too.

All signs point to this being the best game|most exciting fixture

Nicholas Church
Nicholas Church

A tech writer with a passion for AI and digital transformation, sharing insights from years of industry experience.