🔗 Share this article Sutton's Projections vying with English Gaming Ace Daniel 'Stingray' Ray Published: 36 minutes ago Comments: 14 The weekend heralds the first Wear-Tyne derby after 2024, but will it be – Sunderland or the Magpies? "During the bulk of last season, no one would have predicted the Wearside club getting promoted and challenging with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, never mind being above them in the table," remarked football expert Chris Sutton. "It is very different now, and the way they play makes me think they've got a solid shot." Sutton is making forecasts for all 380 Premier League games this campaign, in competition with AI, fans and a variety of guests. For this weekend's fixtures, he is challenged by England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray. Ray is competing for honours for the national gaming squad – the Football Association's official esports team – at the gaming title Uefa eEuro 2025 finals tournament, which is being held at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday. Viewers can catch Uefa's YouTube, Instagram 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 forecasts? Share your own guesses below. The most commonly selected scoreline chosen for each game is used in the leaderboards at the foot of this page. Getting the win/draw/loss right (choosing a win, draw or defeat) is worth ten points. The exact score earns 40 points. Fifty nations competed in the Uefa EA Sports FC eEuros and a mere eight have qualified. Ray, seen here with his coach Nick den Hamer and England Gaming team manager Denman, carries the eLions' hopes. England also have esports teams in Rocket League and the management simulation. Ray, who also plays Gen City and the Premier League champions as well as England, is making his debut at the eEuros finals after passing the qualification rounds. A group of eight will play for their countries at the finals in a knockout format, competing for a substantial cash prize and a prestigious spot in the global championship qualifiers, with Denmark's Anders Vejrgang looking to retain the title he won last year. "I'm feeling really good for it," Ray said. "There's a really good coach alongside me and preparation has been going well. "It's 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 go into this job and there is an chance to represent England, wearing the Three Lions is something incredible. "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 always lost to 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 delivers a crazy boost of confidence." Ray's footballing idol is Lionel Messi and he feels his virtual football style is reminiscent of his hero. "My style involves a bit of skill and I like to play with a bit of foresight, so I'd say that is accurate," he explained. "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 Arsenal at the end of November, when they earned a stalemate after going down to 10 men, and many thought they've turned a corner, they could potentially be challengers for the crown. Since then, however, they were overpowered by Leeds, looked lethargic against Bournemouth and this week got beaten by Atalanta in the Champions League. So manager Enzo Maresca desperately requires a win here to return to winning ways, but it will be a challenge because the Merseyside club are such a dangerous team. Two of their stars are playing exceptionally and Everton have got a bit of a positive run at the moment. On form you would probably back the visitors, while the most logical prediction would probably be a draw, but I'm throwing caution to the wind. The Blues have failed to given me any good cause to back them recently, but I just have a hunch they 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 am at this game and it will be fascinating 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 after all the controversy with Mohamed Salah this week. Slot should not have to put up with that distraction. I know Salah has been a great for the club but essentially Slot just wants to win games and there is nothing personal 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 included for this game, but the only way he is going to be reintegrated is if he apologises. Slot's primary concern will be on winning this game, but it is a difficult fixture. It's fair to say 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 defensively susceptible 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 affected their stamina. I've selected 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 Wearside club have had the opportunity to rest while Newcastle had to work so hard against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to be pegged back late on. With the exception of their brilliant performance against Everton a couple of weeks ago, Newcastle's away form has been inconsistent, especially straight after they've played in the Champions League. The pattern suggests 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. Their match against Arsenal demonstrated how unwavering Regis le Bris's side are. They dominated the Gunners, and it was amazing to watch. Many pundits talks about how Granit Xhaka has been brilliant for the Black Cats, and he has been brilliant, but Noah Sadiki, who plays alongside him, has also been one of the signings of the season and warrants praise too. All signs point to this being the best game|most exciting fixture