Sky Sports EFL pundit Gary O’Neil has warned that Derby County could find themselves in a real scrap for survival towards the end of the campaign, if they are hit with a points deduction.

Derby have been charged by the EFL for breaching financial rules, which could see Phillip Cocu’s side hit with a points deduction at some point this season, with clubs not being allowed to lose more than £39million over a period of three years.

However, the Midlands club have issued a statement suggesting that they will appeal the charge from the EFL.

Depending on whether or not that challenge proves successful, the Rams could either face a points deduction which could see them slide down the table, or be cleared of any wrongdoing.

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Speaking on Sky Sports ahead of their coverage of Fulham’s clash with Middlesbrough on Friday night, via Derbyshire Live, O’Neil suggested that the Rams could find themselves in real danger were they to be hit with a points deduction.

He said: "I think they’re nine points clear of the bottom three, so they’ll be right in a relegation scrap if it gets to that.

"It’s normally a long process, there are normally appeals and you never know what’s going to go.

"Sometimes it’s off-putting for the players, you’re not sure whether you’re going for the play-offs, you’re not sure if you’re fighting relegation, it can all change so quickly on an off-field decision.

"It will be an interesting time at Derby and interesting to see how the players handle it.

"They’ve had another off-field incident so they’ve had a lot to deal with off the pitch–it’s not been a good season."

The Verdict

Derby are currently ten points clear of Barnsley who currently occupy the final relegation spot heading into the weekend but were they to be hit with a large points deduction late on in the campaign, it could see that gap completely shrink and leave them battling for survival.

That would be an incredibly difficult situation for Cocu’s side to suddenly find themselves in and it would be a real challenge for the Rams to pick themselves up and make sure they secured enough points to secure their safety.

It could, therefore, be crucial that Derby start to pick up as many points as possible between now and the EFL's decision so that they ensure they still have a cushion to the bottom three even if they are deducted points.