🔗 Share this article The Pundit's Forecasts against England Gaming Prodigy Daniel 'Stingray' Ray Published: Half an hour ago Comments: 14 The weekend brings the inaugural Wear-Tyne derby since 2024, but will it be – Sunderland or Newcastle? "Throughout the majority of last season, no one would have predicted Sunderland rising to the top flight and holding their own with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, let alone being above them in the table," commented football expert Chris Sutton. "Things are very different now, and the way Sunderland play leads me to believe they've got a real chance." He is offering forecasts for all 380 Premier League games this season, in competition with AI, fans and a variety of guests. For the upcoming matchday, he is challenged by England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray. Ray is vying for victory for the eLions – the Football Association's formal esports team – at the gaming title European esports championship finals tournament, which takes place at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday. You can watch Uefa's YouTube, IG Live and TikTok channels, as well as EA Sports FC Twitch and YouTube and England's Twitch. Do you agree with their scores? Share your own guesses below. The most popular scoreline selected for each game is used in the leaderboards at the bottom of this page. Getting the win/draw/loss right (selecting a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. A perfect prediction earns forty points. Numerous entrants took part in the European esports championship and just eight remain. Ray, pictured here with his trainer and England Gaming team manager Denman, carries the nation's aspirations. England also have competitive gaming squads in Rocket League and the management simulation. Ray, who competes for Gen City and Manchester City as well as England, is making his debut at the eEuros finals after passing the qualifying. A group of eight will fly the flag at the finals in a straight knockout, competing for a six-figure prize fund and a highly sought-after spot in the FC Pro World Championship Play-Ins, with Denmark's Anders Vejrgang defending the title he won last year. "My mindset is really good for it," Ray said. "There's a really good coach alongside me and practice has been going well. "Representing your country is always an honour to play for your country. Of course when you are younger, you dream about doing it as an real-life footballer, but when you enter this profession and there is an opportunity to represent England, wearing the Three Lions 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 never beaten him in a tournament before. "In my opinion he is the top competitor in the world so getting a win over him in a tournament like this just provides a massive injection of confidence." Ray's footballing idol is Lionel Messi and he feels his virtual football style is comparable to his hero. "I utilise a bit of skill and I like to play with a bit of incisive passing, so I'd say that is fair," he said. "It's flattering with that comparison!" Premier League Predictions Saturday, 13 December Chelsea vs Everton Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT The Blues were outstanding against the Gunners at the end of November, when they got a draw after being reduced to 10 men, and it seemed they've turned a corner, they could potentially be challengers for the crown. In the matches following, however, they were overpowered by Leeds, looked uninspired against Bournemouth and this week got turned over by Atalanta in the Champions League. So head coach Enzo Maresca desperately requires a win here to get back on track, but it will be a challenge because the Toffees are such a dangerous team. Two of their stars are playing at the top of their game and they have got a bit of form at the moment. On form you would likely back Everton, while the most sensible prediction would probably be a draw, but I'm throwing caution to the wind. Chelsea haven't given me any compelling evidence to back them recently, but I just have a feeling they will take this one 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'll be 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 important victory at Inter Milan on Tuesday following all the controversy with Mohamed Salah this week. Slot ought not to put up with that distraction. I know Salah has been a great for the club but at its core Slot just wants to win games and there is no bias in his team selection. Liverpool changed their formation against Inter and went with a midfield diamond formation and two up top. Everyone is going to be talking about whether Salah is back for this game, but the only way he is going to be brought back into the fold is if he says sorry. Slot's attention will be on winning this game, but it is a challenging encounter. You could argue 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 a consistent run of form, but I am not sure how much their exertions at the San Siro will have taken out of them. I've selected 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 Black Cats have had the opportunity to rest while Newcastle had to battle intensely against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to be pegged back late on. With the exception of their superb performance against Everton a couple of weeks ago, Newcastle's away form hasn't been great, especially straight after they've played in the Champions League. I am expecting that pattern to continue on Sunday, and their tiredness is likely to be a factor in how this game goes because of their rivals' intensity. It was evident how relentless Regis le Bris's side are. They bullied the Gunners, and it was amazing 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 top transfers and warrants praise too. This promises to be this being the best game|most exciting fixture