🔗 Share this article The Pundit's Forecasts versus England Gaming Ace Daniel 'The Stingray' Ray Published: 36 minutes ago Comments: 14 Sunday heralds the inaugural Wear-Tyne derby after 2024, but which side will celebrate – Sunderland or the Magpies? "For most of last season, no one would have predicted the Wearside club getting promoted and being competitive 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 convinces me they've got a real chance." He is offering forecasts for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, readers and a range of guests. For week 16, he takes on England Gaming star Daniel 'Stingray' Ray. Ray is competing for honours for the England's esports team – the Football Association's official esports team – at the EA Sports FC European esports championship finals tournament, which will occur at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday. Viewers can catch Uefa's YouTube, IG Live and TikTok channels, as well as EA Sports FC Twitch and its YouTube counterpart and the national team's Twitch. Are you in alignment with their predictions? Feel free to submit your own predictions below. The most popular scoreline picked for each game is used in the tables at the bottom of this page. A correct result (selecting a win, draw or defeat) is worth ten points. A perfect prediction earns 40 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, holds the nation's aspirations. England also have esports teams in the vehicular soccer game and Football Manager. Ray, who competes for Gen City and the Premier League champions as well as England, is entering the fray at the eEuros finals after getting through the preliminary stage. The final eight competitors will fly the flag at the finals in a single-elimination, playing for a six-figure prize fund and a prestigious spot in the FC Pro World Championship Play-Ins, with the Danish representative Anders Vejrgang defending the title he won last year. "My mindset is really good for it," Ray remarked. "I've got a really good coach by my side and training has been going well. "It's always an honour to play for your country. Naturally when you are younger, you fantasise about doing it as an professional footballer, but when you pursue a career in this job and there is an opportunity to represent England, putting the shirt on 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 always lost to 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 gives you a massive injection of confidence." Ray's favourite real-life player is Lionel Messi and he thinks his game playing style is reminiscent of his hero. "My style involves a bit of flair and creativity and I like to play with a bit of foresight, so I'd say that is fair," he said. "I'm pleased with that comparison!" Premier League Forecasts Saturday, 13 December Chelsea vs Everton Stamford Bridge, 15:00 GMT The Blues were impressive against Arsenal at the end of November, when they got a draw after being reduced to 10 men, and I was thinking they've turned a corner, they could potentially be challengers for the crown. However, since that game, however, they were beaten physically by Leeds, looked lethargic against Bournemouth and this week got turned over by Atalanta in the Champions League. So head coach Enzo Maresca really needs a win here to get back on track, but it won't be easy because the Toffees are such a dangerous team. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye are playing exceptionally and they have got a bit of form at the moment. Current evidence suggests you would probably back Everton, while the most prudent 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 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 intriguing 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 discussion with Mohamed Salah this week. Slot should not have to put up with that drama. I know Salah has been a icon for Liverpool but at its core 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. The media 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 focus 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 unpredictable. 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 have whacked a couple of Brighton players in my FPL team, so they will almost certainly blank - but I do fancy them to 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 Sunderland have had the opportunity to rest while Newcastle had to exert themselves against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, only to let their lead slip away late on. Aside from their excellent 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. It is anticipated that that pattern to continue on Sunday, and their tiredness is likely to be a factor in how this game goes because of Sunderland's energetic style. It was evident how relentless Regis le Bris's side are. They dominated the Gunners, and it was a joy to watch. Everyone talks about how Granit Xhaka has been phenomenal for the Black Cats, and he has been superb, but Noah Sadiki, who plays next to him, has also been one of the top transfers and deserves some attention too. All signs point to this being the best game|most exciting fixture