Chris Sutton's Predictions vying with England Gaming Star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray

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This Sunday brings the first Wear-Tyne derby since 2024, but which side will celebrate โ€“ Sunderland or the Magpies?

"Throughout the majority of last season, it was unthinkable the Wearside club earning promotion and challenging with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, let alone being above them in the table," commented pundit Chris Sutton.

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

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

For week 16, he takes on England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray.

Ray is going for glory for the national gaming squad โ€“ the Football Association's formal esports team โ€“ at the EA Sports FC European esports championship finals tournament, which is being held at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

The action will be streamed on Uefa's YouTube, IG Live and TikTok channels, as well as EA Sports FC Twitch and YouTube and the national team's Twitch.

Are you in alignment with their predictions? Share your own predictions below.

The fan-favourite scoreline chosen for each game is displayed on the leaderboards at the end of this page.

A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns forty points.

Daniel 'Stingray' Ray with his coach and manager.
Numerous entrants competed in the Uefa EA Sports FC eEuros and a mere eight have qualified. Ray, pictured here with his coach Nick den Hamer and England Gaming team manager Denman, bears the nation's aspirations. England also have competitive gaming squads in Rocket League and the management simulation.

Ray, who represents his club side and Manchester City as well as England, is making his debut at the eEuros finals after successfully navigating the qualifying.

Eight players will play for their countries at the finals in a straight knockout, playing for a $100,000 prize pool and a highly sought-after spot in the FC Pro World Championship Play-Ins, with the Danish representative Anders Vejrgang defending the title he won last year.

"I'm feeling really good for it," Ray remarked. "I have a really good coach alongside me and training has been going well.

"Representing your country is always an honour to play for your country. Obviously when you are younger, you imagine doing it as an professional footballer, but when you go into this field and there is an chance to represent England, donning the national jersey is something unique.

"I overcame 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 never beaten him in a tournament before.

"I believe he is the best player in the world so beating him in a tournament like this just provides a crazy boost of confidence."

Daniel Ray competing.
Ray's sporting hero is Lionel Messi and he believes his virtual football style is comparable to his hero. "My style involves a bit of skill and I like to play with a bit of incisive passing, so I'd say that is fair," he explained. "It's flattering with that comparison!"

Premier League Weekend Preview

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 I was thinking here we go, they could potentially be challengers for the crown.

In the matches following, however, they were beaten physically by Leeds, looked uninspired against Bournemouth and this week got turned over by Atalanta in the Champions League.

So manager Enzo Maresca really needs a win here to get back on track, but it will be a challenge because Everton are such a threatening team.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye are playing at the top of their game and Everton have got a bit of a positive run at the moment.

Based on recent performances you would likely back Everton, while the most prudent prediction would probably be a draw, but I am not going to be sensible.

Chelsea haven't given me any compelling evidence to back them recently, but I just have a feeling Chelsea will emerge victorious 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 Liverpool.

I am really pleased for Reds boss Arne Slot to get such a great win at Inter Milan on Tuesday after all the stuff 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 essentially Slot just wants to win games and there is no ulterior motive in his team selection.

Liverpool changed their formation against Inter and went with a midfield diamond formation 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 reintegrated is if he makes amends.

Slot's attention 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 defensively susceptible 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 drained them.

I've selected a couple of Brighton players in my FPL team, so they will almost certainly blank - 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 Black Cats have had the week off while Newcastle had to work so hard against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to be pegged back late on.

Apart from their superb 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.

I am expecting that trend to continue on Sunday, and their fatigue is likely to be a key element in how this game goes because of their rivals' energetic style.

It was evident how incessant Regis le Bris's side are. They overpowered 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 excellent, 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

Brett Murray
Brett Murray

A seasoned gaming journalist with a passion for uncovering the best online casino experiences and sharing actionable tips.