Luigi Mangione will not face death penalty, judge rules
I’M JASON NEWTON AND I’M ASHLEY HINSON. LUIGI MANGIONE. DEFENSE ATTORNEYS WANT TO BLOCK CERTAIN EVIDENCE FROM HIS UPCOMING TRIAL. MAGGIONI IS ACCUSED OF KILLING UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO BRIAN THOMPSON IN MANHATTAN. THAT WAS A YEAR AGO TODAY, THOUGH, POLICE OFFICERS FROM ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA, CONTINUE THEIR TESTIMONY ABOUT THE DAY OF MANGIONE’S ARREST. KHIREE JOINING US NOW IN KAI BODY CAMERA VIDEO PLAYED IN COURT TODAY, RIGHT? IT DID. AND ASHLEY JASON, THE BODY CAMERA VIDEO SHOWS THE MOMENTS AFTER POLICE RESPONDED TO THE ALTOONA MCDONALD’S WHERE THEY FOUND MANGIONE. THIS HAPPENED FIVE DAYS AFTER BRIAN THOMPSON’S MURDER. IN THE VIDEO, YOU CAN HEAR ONE OF THE OFFICERS SAY, QUOTE, IT’S HIM, DUDE, IT’S HIM. THAT’S IN REFERENCE TO PHOTOS CIRCULATING ONLINE SHOWING THE MAN POLICE SAY KILLED THOMPSON. ACCORDING TO OFFICER CHRISTINA WASSER, THEY BEGAN SEARCHING MANGIONE’S BAG AFTER PUTTING HIM IN HANDCUFFS. INSIDE THE BAG, THEY FOUND A LOADED GUN MAGAZINE. THE MAGAZINE WAS WRAPPED UP IN A PAIR OF UNDERWEAR. MANGIONE’S DEFENSE WANTS THE CONTENTS OF THAT BAG EXCLUDED FROM HIS TRIAL. THEY CLAIM OFFICERS DIDN’T HAVE A PROPER WARRANT TO SEARCH IT. TODAY, OFFICER WASSER SAID THAT SHE WAS FOLLOWING POLICE PROTOCOLS. THOSE PROTOCOLS, SHE TOLD THE COURT, REQUIRE OFFICERS SEARCH A SUSPECT’S PROPERTY AT THE TIME OF AN ARREST. OFFICER WASSER ALSO TESTIFIED MANGIONE WAS TOLD OF HIS RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT, WHICH HE INVOKED WHILE OFFICERS FOUND THE MAGAZINE AT THE SCENE. THEY DID NOT UNCOVER THE NOTEBOOK UNTIL THEY RETURNED TO THE POLICE STATION. MANGIONE HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO STATE AND FEDERAL MURDER CHARGES. HIS TEAM TODAY ALSO CALLED ON A JUDGE TO BAN THE WORDS,
Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, a federal district judge ruled.The decision is a loss for federal prosecutors, who were adamant about pursuing the death penalty in the case.This is a developing story and will be updated.
NEW YORK —
Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty for allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, a federal district judge ruled.
The decision is a loss for federal prosecutors, who were adamant about pursuing the death penalty in the case.
A 13-year-old boy died on Thursday after he was mauled by a shark at a popular beach on Brazil’s eastern coast, the state government said in a statement.
The attack happened off the coast of Chifre beach in Brazil’s tourist hotspot Pernambuco, the State Committee for Monitoring Shark Incidents (CEMIT) said in a news release.
The boy was taken to hospital but “did not survive his injuries,” CEMIT added.
Dr. Levy Dalton, who treated the victim, said the boy had been bitten on the right thigh, before suffering a cardiorespiratory arrest, UOL Notícias Brasil reported.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to resuscitate him, (…) unfortunately we couldn’t do much for him,” Dalton told reporters, according to the outlet.
Brazilian outlet G1 identified the victim as Deivson Rocha Dantas. According G1, the boy’s cousin, Lídia Emanuele, told TV Globo that the shark “ate almost his entire leg” and he was pulled out of the water by other beachgoers who were about the same age.
Dozens of beaches along the turquoise coastlines of Pernambuco have been issued with shark warnings, authorities said, adding that Chifre beach had issued four such signs for beachgoers.
Nonetheless, CEMIT said it would beef up shark monitoring following the boy’s death and bring back a suspended program to track the creatures with microchips.
The attack happened off the coast of Chifre beach in Brazil’s tourist hotspot Pernambuco, the State Committee for Monitoring Shark Incidents (CEMIT) said.
CEMIT
More than 80 shark attacks have been recorded in Pernambuco since 1992, with 26 of them fatal, excluding the boy who died on Thursday, CEMIT said.
Last week, a 12-year-old boy who was bitten by a shark in Australia’s Sydney Harbor died of his injuries, his family said.
Earlier this month, a 56-year-old woman from Minnesota died after a shark attack in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Look out, Las Vegas! Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are coming to take over the Strip this summer, and everyone is invited.
Shelton — in true Blake form — hopped onto a giant Kubota tractor, drove it to Caesar’s Palace and parked that bad boy right out front to announce his new residency dates.
Blake Shelton Facebook
Blake Shelton Facebook
He waved at fans, shouting, “Welcome to Las Vegas! I’m coming back in May! This is how you do Vegas!”
He then tossed the keys to a valet worker and asked him to “check-in” with the dates.
I wonder if he gets free valet with that thing, or if he still has to pay?
When Will Blake Shelton Be Performing in Las Vegas?
Shelton just wrapped up an eight-show stint at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas in early January 2026.
The new shows run May 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, 21 and 24.
After Shelton did a six-show stint in Vegas in 2025, he mentioned that he “screwed up and wished he did 40 of these a year.” That is why he added even more dates to his already scheduled 2026 residency at Caesar’s Palace.
Obviously, Shelton is married to Gwen Stefani, and her band, No Doubt, will be in Vegas at the same time as Shelton is, except they are playing at the Sphere.
Will Gwen Stefani Join Blake Shelton at His Vegas Shows?
Gwen Stefani and No Doubt’s Vegas shows are set for May 6, 8, 9, 13, 15 and 16.
Blake Shelton’s Caesars Palace shows un from May 6-24.
That means she could feasibly be in Las Vegas on those overlapping days — especially on May 6, 8, 9, 13, 15 and 16, so there is always a chance.
Take a look at other country concerts happening around the U.S. this year.
2026 Country Music Festivals Guide
Enjoy an updated list of country music’s best festivals, across America, Canada, Great Britain and more. This list of 2026 country fests will be updated to reflect postponements, cancelations or lineup adjustments.
27 Men Who Deserve To Be In the Country Music Hall of Fame
You could make a case for dozens of country stars to be next up in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Here are 27 men worthy of the medallion in 2026 or beyond.
Myron Medcalf covers college basketball for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2011.
Multiple Authors
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — At an on-campus dining hall in September, a fork and knife looked like a toddler’s toy utensils in the massive hands of Olivier Rioux. Everything about Florida‘s 7-foot-9, 305-pound center, is supersized — just check the book of Guinness World Records, where he holds the official title for tallest teenager.
“I wear size 20 shoes,” Rioux told ESPN. “I eat 5,000 to 6,000 calories every day.”
It’s fuel for a body with proportions college basketball has never seen.
When he made his much-anticipated debut for the Gators in early November, Rioux (pronounced Ree-YOO) became the tallest player in college basketball history to check into a game. Two weeks after that, he became the tallest player to score a point after making a free throw. And in mid-December, he became the tallest player to record a field goal with a late-game dunk in a blowout win over Saint Francis.
Before he even entered that game — his third of five appearances so far this season — the crowd in Gainesville began to chant, “We want Ollie! We want Ollie!” The loudest cheers of the night erupted when he rose from his seat on the bench and walked to the scorer’s table to check in. Minutes later, that slam sent the fans into a frenzy. His teammates hopped on one another’s shoulders, his coaches high-fived and fans pointed to the ceiling and screamed.
“I knew it would be big, but I didn’t know it would be like that,” said Jean-Francois Rioux, Oliver’s father.
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7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux scores first bucket
Olivier Rioux, the world’s tallest teenager, scores his first bucket for Florida vs. Saint Francis.
Oliver has created a buzz on and off the court since he was a young player in Montreal. As a child, he towered over his peers, then his teachers and, well, eventually most of the globe. He was nearly 7 feet tall in elementary school. With his unique size and stature, he’s a walking selfie opportunity for passersby.
The redshirt freshman’s main focus is to eventually earn more playing time and enjoy the typical life of a college student. Florida considers him a promising project, though at this stage, he’s a long way from filling up the stat sheet in the SEC. Still, he’s the most popular player on the roster, as evidenced by the incessant requests for photos and autographs when he’s out with the team. But while Rioux sometimes basks in the fame and attention of a rock star, he yearns to be acknowledged for his other attributes.
“Whenever I’m out with the guys or the team, I’m like, ‘I don’t want any pictures,'” he said. “When I’m walking to class, I’ll do selfies while I’m walking. I’ve learned that technique. It works a lot because you don’t get stopped by anybody. And then anything that involves kids asking for pictures, I’ll do it because I don’t want to feel bad.”
Long before he caused a stir everywhere he went, Rioux was just a tall kid in Canada.
As a child, he was just the growing young man who would walk into a local restaurant with his 6-8 father, 6-2 mother Anne Gariepy (6-2) and 6-9 older brother, Emile, to order a half-dozen pizzas for the family.
That started to change in 2016.
Joel Anthony, a 6-10 former NBA forward who won two NBA titles with LeBron James and the Miami Heat, returned to Montreal to attend a kids basketball camp in town. Having faced some of the biggest athletes in the world, he wasn’t easily impressed. Then, a friend of his introduced him to a 9-year-old Rioux.
“I was like, ‘Where is the kid?'” Anthony said. “And he’s like, ‘This is the kid I was talking about.'”
Anthony had assumed Rioux was a camp counselor. They were the same height.
When a photo of Rioux and Anthony was posted on social media, it drew attention — including from Canada Basketball officials, who contacted Rioux’s family. Joining his country’s official basketball development system helped him gain the training resources to facilitate his growth. Free clothes and shoes, too. And the games against top opposition on the grassroots circuit taught him to play with an edge.
“A 6-foot-10 kid tried to dunk on him and he missed, and he was chirping at Rioux,” said Joey McKitterick, director of Brookwood Elite basketball program in Canada. “And then Rioux comes down and dunks on him, and then he pats the kid on the top of his head. And I was like, ‘He just patted a kid who is 6-foot-10 on his head like he was his child.'”
As the legendary stories about the tallest kid anyone had ever seen — he was 7 feet tall by age 12 — circulated throughout Canada and beyond, Rioux’s coaches had to call event organizers at youth basketball events to verify his age when they threatened to demand his birth certificate. The crowds at his games quickly grew. People wanted to see the boy who seemed like a myth. That attention wasn’t always easy to handle for Rioux, according to those who were around him then.
“It is a little difficult when you’re young and people don’t know how to stare,” Anthony said. “You have this growth spurt and now everyone’s just staring at you and it’s just constantly, everyone is staring at you.”
Rioux’s AAU coaches had to turn his teammates into “bodyguards” on road trips to keep those seeking autographs and pictures at bay. They would still snap selfies from afar and post them. A simple stroll through a mall, an airport or any place with throngs of people would present the possibility of hysteria for Rioux.
But in basketball, Rioux found a home and an identity. At Florida, he’s just one of the guys, another player on a roster chasing a dream.
“The fans at Florida are crazy,” he said. “The feeling of being supported by people, it just helps you a lot mentally and I feel like that’s what I needed and that’s what I’ve been provided with.”
Whenever he gets to his hotel room on the road with the Gators, Rioux goes through his routine.
First, he backs his body into the room like a semi-truck backs into a loading dock because it’s more efficient than trying to dip beneath a standard door frame (6-8) while facing forward. Then if the room has two beds — preferably doubles or queens — he’ll pull one toward the other to make a T-shape, then sleep diagonally.
When a room has only one bed, well, then he really has to get creative.
“I just have a technique where I just pull the mattress back, put some pillows and cushions near the top of the bedframe so that the bed is long enough,” he said. “I don’t need the extra space in the room.”
Just preparing his body for the wear and tear of a basketball season is a feat in and of itself. His training program involves a lot of work on his lower body to create and sustain the base he’ll need to play long stretches if he’s called upon.
“I can lose five pounds in a single day,” Rioux said of his daily workout regimen. “I have to regain it with water and it’s you can’t just hold water. You’ve got to drink progressively and be worried about when you drink, how you drink and when you pee and all of that. There is a whole process.”
At 7-9, the human body works harder. Much harder. But the energy Rioux expends at Florida to stay in shape — he added 10 pounds of muscle over the offseason — is not only in service of his basketball future, but his overall quality of life.
For now, Rioux hasn’t had much of an opportunity to showcase the work he has done to prepare his body for play.
Florida’s pecking order is set with a frontcourt of Alex Condon, NBA prospect Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu — all of whom starred in last season’s national title run. Rioux’s efforts now are really about fighting for a role next season. His height is an X factor no opponents can match at this level. But he’ll have to become quicker and more agile to play substantial minutes, according to those who have helped him develop over the years.
“It’s a guard’s game, so in order for a big guy like [Rioux] to really, really thrive, you’d have to slow the game down, walk the ball up the court, let him get in position and then throw it into him,” said Michael Meeks, an assistant with the Canadian national team who has known Rioux for more than a decade. “There are not a lot of teams that walk the ball up in the SEC, so his head is under the water and he’s going to have to really, really work to get it above it to impact the game.”
Florida head coach Todd Golden said he won’t make any definitive projections about Rioux’s future at Florida, but he is impressed by his determination and work ethic.
“I know he’s sitting over there probably like, ‘Damn man, I didn’t know all these guys were coming back,'” Golden said. “So it’s going to be a tough one this year to play. It really will be. But … I do think he has some really good basketball ahead of him, whether it’s here at Florida or somewhere else.”
That’s a challenge Rioux has embraced because he wants to play. That’s his ultimate goal; it’s how he wants to be remembered with the Gators and the world. Whether an opportunity to make that a reality comes will depend on what happens this offseason. Although Rioux has played limited minutes this season (2.2 per game), Florida could lose its entire frontcourt to the NBA or graduation. That could open a lane for him — and he’s determined to stay until it does.
“I think a lot of people don’t really know what I’m committed to doing,” he said. “Obviously, you see a highlight here and there, but you don’t see what the person is capable of doing. I want to push myself to be able to do that.”
Added his father: “We are confident that [Rioux] will have his place at Florida and that he will be able to play.”
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Gators fans go wild for tallest player in CBB history checking into game
Florida fans are on their feet as 7-9 Olivier Rioux checks into the game against North Florida.
Rather than stuff himself into a car, Rioux prefers to ride around Florida’s campus on a bike. But it’s not an ordinary bike. The DirtySixer AllRoad Mark II retails at $5,000. When standing upright on its back wheel, the bike is almost as tall as Rioux. San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is next on the company’s list to get one of the limited edition bikes. Shaquille O’Neal already has one.
“I haven’t figured out my driver’s license,” Rioux said. “I don’t fit into cars. I don’t fit into the driver’s seat. I would have to customize it and learn how to drive it. And that’s a lot. That’s a lot of money.”
Blending into a world made for the masses — the average Canadian man is 5-10 — but not a 7-9 man has always been the norm for Rioux. He has to “duckwalk” through the jet bridge at the airport and can sit only in exit rows unless he purchases extra seats for the legroom. And with his in-person classes in Gainesville, it’s rare that he ever finds a suitable seat.
“The auditoriums are not made for tall people, so I have to sit in the back where there is a seat,” he said. “You don’t really hear the teacher.”
The Florida athletic complex is one of the few places where he can relax without thinking about the next person to come up to him and ask him about his height or if he plays basketball or how tall he is. In the locker room, Rioux can be himself.
“He’s a great kid,” his teammate Boogie Fland said. “He’s just a cool dude to be around and he is always caring about us.”
Added Haugh: “People love him here. He loves it here, too. And he’s been grinding. He has been lifting a lot and getting better. I see him working out, working on ballhandling. And I think if he gets things rolling, gets a little quicker, he’s going to be good.”
Florida is where Rioux is attempting to mold himself into the player he wants to be — one with a future that will depend on how rapidly his skills develop and the way he conditions himself for the rigors of a season. In the meantime, the NIL and revenue sharing have helped him attain the 3XL gear — and the king-plus mattress — he needs. It also helps that clothing companies send him their stuff for free, hoping he can become their human billboard.
When he wants to turn it all off, though — the buzz, the selfie requests, the gawking, the questions — he connects with those who know him as “Ollie.”
Back home in Montreal, he challenges his dad to PC games, mostly “Civilization” and “Minecraft.” He enjoys reading manga and watching anime. He’s even an artist himself; his sketches are scattered around his family home.
When he wasn’t doodling as a kid, he was always close to a chessboard.
“He’s very good at chess,” his father said. “When he was young, he won the tournament at his school, but at some point, if you want to really be good at chess, you have to train, but basketball was taking too much of his time to do chess.”
He has a friend group that doesn’t care that he plays basketball or has a record-setting height. On a summer trip to New York City, they socialized at a food festival before they stopped at a club.
“We went downtown, we chilled. One of our friends is a DJ, so we went to support him,” Rioux said. “It was really nice. He was doing EDM. I am into that.”
He chooses to keep the names of those friends and their busy group chat private. For Rioux, cultivating a life outside basketball — and constant chatter about his height — has been a positive.
“It’s the freedom of not talking about basketball,” he said. “I feel like that helps me to just be more focused on basketball somehow. I don’t know the mentality behind it, but I have 100% in basketball and 100% with the liberty of recovery. I think that’s the balance.”
COLFAX COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A total of three earthquakes were recorded in a remote part of Colfax County in northern New Mexico Friday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The first, and the largest, was a 3.9 magnitude earthquake that happened north of Cimarron around 12:20 a.m. Friday. At 4:06 a.m., two other quakes […]
Denmark has unveiled a deportation reform under which foreigners who are convicted of serious crimes, like aggravated assault and rape, would be expelled
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark unveiled a legal reform on Friday allowing foreigners who have been sentenced to at least one year of unconditional imprisonment for serious crimes to be deported.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the measure would affect any foreign national convicted of serious offences, such as aggravated assault and rape, though she acknowledged the idea — part of a series of legal changes — could conflict with European human rights conventions.
Denmark will also tighten controls on foreigners without legal residence, introduce a new anklet monitor for criminal foreigners, reopen an embassy in Syria, and strengthen cooperation with authorities in Afghanistan.
Frederiksen told a news conference that the government was acting “unconventionally” and was amending legislation rather than waiting for court rulings on deportation cases.
Immigration and Integration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said 315 foreign criminals from countries outside the European Union had received sentences of more than a year over the last five years but were not expelled.
“Many of us find that hard to understand,” he told the news conference.
The announcement comes as the EU — which counts Denmark as a member — has been grappling with integration of foreign nationals and migrants and stiffening its legal arsenal.
Last month, the 27-member country bloc began finalizing an overhaul of its migration system, including tougher restrictions on accepting asylum claims.
Many hard right-wing groups and political parties in Europe, and beyond in the Western world, have expressed growing anger over what they see as an undesired surge of immigration in recent years.
Mötley Crüe say they have emerged fully vindicated from their legal battle with former guitarist Mick Mars, announcing what they call “a decisive victory” following a final arbitration award that rejected every claim Mars brought against the band.
According to a press release issued by the band’s attorney Sasha Frid of Miller Barondess, LLP, the ruling not only settles the financial dispute but also cuts down the public narrative Mars promoted in a series of high-profile interviews.
“The arbitrator’s ruling not only vindicates the band contractually and financially,” Frid said, “but also dismantles the public narrative Mars promoted in interviews with major outlets.”
Mars announced his retirement from touring with Mötley Crüe in October 2022, citing worsening health issues related to ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the spine. At the time, he said he would remain a member of the band, with John 5 stepping in as his touring replacement.
Six months later, Mars filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging that the remaining members attempted to strip him of his status as a significant stakeholder in the band’s corporation and business interests following his decision to stop touring. However, the matter ultimately went to arbitration — and the outcome landed squarely in the band’s favor.
The arbitrator, The Honorable Patrick Walsh (Ret.), ruled entirely for Mötley Crüe, confirming that Mars forfeited his right to touring revenue when he chose to stop touring — a provision that was reportedly written into the band’s governing agreement in 2008 at Mars‘s own insistence.
That amendment explicitly states that any member who ceases touring no longer shares in touring income. Despite this, Mars later demanded to continue receiving 25% of touring revenue in perpetuity while no longer performing. The arbitrator rejected that claim outright.
The ruling also upheld the band’s decision to terminate Mars as an officer and director for legal cause and ordered him to repay more than $750,000 in unrecouped tour advances. After factoring in the value of Mars‘s shares, the final award resulted in a net judgment in favor of Mötley Crüe.
Beyond finances, the case carried wider implications for the band’s reputation. While arbitration was ongoing, Mars publicly accused Mötley Crüe of not playing live — claims he repeated under oath — alleging that Nikki Sixx‘s bass and Tommy Lee‘s drums were pre-recorded. Those allegations unraveled under scrutiny.
Presented with extensive live performance recordings and testimony from Mars‘s own retained expert, a New York University professor specializing in music technology – Mars was forced to admit under oath that his statements were false. His expert confirmed the band performed live, and Mars formally recanted his claims during sworn testimony.
“This dispute was about protecting the integrity and legacy of one of the most successful bands in rock history,” Frid said. “With the arbitrator rejecting every claim and enforcing the parties’ agreements as written, the band has been fully vindicated — legally, financially, and factually.”
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times last September, Nikki Sixx addressed Mars‘s departure and subsequent lawsuit. “[Mick] came to us and said, health-wise, he couldn’t fulfill his contract, and we let him out of the deal,” Sixx said. “Then he sued us because he just said that he can’t tour. We were like, ‘Well, if you can’t tour, you can’t tour.’ I will probably come to that too someday.”
Sixx also pushed back on claims that Mars was the only member playing live on the band’s 2022 Stadium Tour. “Anything we enhance the shows with, we actually played,” Sixx said. “If there are background vocals with my background vocals, and we have background singers to make it sound more like the record, that does not mean we’re not singing.”
He later described Mars‘s accusations as a “crazy betrayal,” adding: “Saying he played in a band that didn’t play, it’s a betrayal to the band who saved his life.”
Mars — born Robert Alan Deal — served as Mötley Crüe’s lead guitarist from the band’s formation in 1981. While Sixx wrote the bulk of the band’s catalog, Mars co-wrote classics including “Girls, Girls, Girls,” “Dr. Feelgood” and “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)”, and contributed the instrumental “God Bless the Children of the Beast” to Shout at the Devil.
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Canadian National Railway reported higher profit and revenue for the fourth quarter thanks to better freight volumes and improved operational efficiency.
Liverpool host Newcastle on Saturday as both sides aim to kick-start what they hope will be runs at top-4 finishes in the English Premier League. The Reds (10-6-7) sit sixth in the Premier League table, while Newcastle (9-6-8) are ninth. Liverpool comes off a 6-0 thrashing of Azerbaijani side Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday. However, they have four draws and a loss in the Premier League in January, falling 3-2 to Bournemouth in their last outing. Things have been a little better for Newcastle, who drew 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain in the UCL after losing 2-0 to Aston Villa last weekend to end a 3-0-1 run in the EPL.
Kickoff from Anfield is set for 3 p.m. ET. Liverpool are -125 home favorites (wager $125 to win $100) at DraftKings Sportsbook in the latest Liverpool vs. Newcastle odds, while the visitors are +310 underdogs (wager $100 to win $310). A draw comes in at +310 and the Over/Under for total goals is set at 2.5 (Over -165, Under +130). For the latest Newcastle vs. Liverpool picks, you can head over to SportsLine, and you’ll definitely want to see what soccer expert Martin Green has to say before locking in your bets for this EPL match.
After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper and has covered the game worldwide. Last year, Green was profitable in multiple areas on his soccer betting picks, including Euro qualifying (+6.30 units), EFL Cup (+4.47), FA Cup (+3.07) and Champions League (+3.05), among others. Anyone who follows him could be way up.
Here are Green’s best bets and analysis for Liverpool vs. Newcastle United for Saturday, Jan. 31.
Liverpool vs. Newcastle best bets
Liverpool to Win (-125): 1 unit
Both Teams to Score + Over 2.5 goals (-110): 0.5 units
Liverpool will try to bounce back from a disappointing 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth when they host Newcastle at Anfield on Saturday.
The Reds have slipped down to sixth in the Premier League table after embarking on a five-game winless streak. They thrashed Azerbaijani minnows Qarabag 6-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, but their domestic form has been poor.
Liverpool will be desperate to return to winning ways but face a tough battle against Eddie Howe’s powerful, counter-attacking Newcastle team. It promises to be an intriguing contest, but home advantage could ultimately swing this game in Liverpool’s favor.
Liverpool Need to Reignite Their Top-Four Bid
Liverpool were on a 13-game unbeaten streak before suffering that 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth last weekend. However, their recent results haven’t been good enough.
They haven’t won a Premier League game in 2026, drawing with Leeds, FulhamArsenal, and Burnley before losing to Bournemouth. The Reds put in a strong performance during their 0-0 draw with league leaders Arsenal, but they really should be beating teams like Leeds, Fulham and Burnley.
Liverpool are now 14 points behind Arsenal and face a fierce battle to clinch a top-4 finish this season. They’ve picked up just 10 wins, six draws, and seven defeats from 23 games.
That’s a dismal record when you consider that they won the Premier League title by a 10-point margin last season. The Reds earned 2.21 points per game during the 2025-26 campaign, compared to just 1.57 points per game this season.
Their problems are well documented. Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are now 34 and 33, respectively, and their form has dipped badly. The new signings have struggled to settle in while they’ve missed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Díaz, who left last summer.
Anfield is usually a fortress for Liverpool, but the Reds have struggled at home this season. They’ve won six, drawn three, and lost two, leaving them with a worse home record than nine rival clubs.
On a brighter note, the players should take confidence from their 6-0 demolition of Qarabag in midweek. Forwards Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike both looked sharp in that game, which bodes well.
However, they have defensive problems, as right backs Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong are both injured. Ibrahima Konaté is expected to return from compassionate leave, partnering with Van Dijk in central defense. Joe Gomez is rated doubtful, so the Reds may need to deploy Wataru Endo or Dominik Szoboszlai as a makeshift right back.
Fatigue Could Prove Costly for Newcastle
Newcastle also suffered a damaging 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa last weekend. That result ended their seven-game unbeaten run, and it left them ninth in the league table — three points behind Liverpool.
The Magpies then went to Paris in midweek, where they played out an exhausting 1-1 draw with PSG. That’s an impressive result, but it didn’t suit either team as it meant that both Newcastle and PSG failed to secure automatic qualification for the Champions League Round of 16.
Newcastle will now face a two-leg playoff, creating more fixture congestion for Howe’s beleaguered squad. The Magpies are missing defenders Fabian Schär and Tino Livramento, plus midfielders Joelinton and Jacob Murphy, although captain Bruno Guimarães could return for this game.
Their away form has been poor this season with two wins, four draws, and five defeats from 11 games. The Magpies have lost their last four league games at Anfield, although they did win away against Liverpool in the EFL Cup last season.
Liverpool beat Newcastle 3-2 earlier this season, meaning they’ve now won seven of their last nine games against Howe’s men. This could be close as both teams are struggling defensively, but fatigue may ultimately undo Newcastle.
The Magpies focus on aggressive pressing and high-energy football, but they often lose when the players tire. A midweek trip to Paris could leave them a little ragged and Liverpool look well-placed to capitalize.
