John Eustace will be livid with EFL announcement ahead of crucial Derby County vs Stoke City clash

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Derby County’s final game of the season comes against relegation rivals Stoke City at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday, with both sides potentially relying on results elsewhere to ensure their survival.

It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the Rams, with their form early on under Paul Warne seeing them sit comfortably in mid-table during the festive period.

However, a run of seven straight defeats saw the current MK Dons boss lose his job, with John Eustace coming in to steady the ship – something that he has done excellently.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
16	PortsmouthPortsmouth	45	14	11	20	57	70	-13	53
17	Oxford UnitedOxford United	45	13	13	19	46	62	-16	52
18	Stoke CityStoke City	45	12	14	19	45	62	-17	50
19	DerbyDerby	45	13	10	22	48	56	-8	49
20	PrestonPreston	45	10	19	16	46	57	-11	49
21	LutonLuton	45	13	10	22	42	64	-22	49
22	Hull CityHull City	45	12	12	21	43	53	-10	48

To guarantee safety, Derby know they must beat Stoke, although results elsewhere could keep them in the division even if they lose or draw in the East Midlands. Nevertheless, supporters will be keen to see their team go at their opponents from the off this weekend.

Despite this, Eustace may not be happy to see who has been put in charge of the game at Pride Park, as Stoke make the short trip across from Staffordshire to face Derby.

Oliver Langford will referee Derby County’s clash with Stoke City

The EFL is prepared for a busy weekend, with all three divisions coming to a conclusion by 5:30pm on Saturday evening and decisions have been made as to which referee will take charge of each match.

The Rams’ contest will be officiated by Oliver Langford, who was at the centre of huge controversy last week as he sent off both Jay Dasilva of Coventry City and Liam Walsh of Luton Town in the Hatters’ 1-0 victory.

The second of those red cards came in the second half, as Walsh was giving his marching orders for shoving Luis Binks in the 68th minute. He had been booked just moments before, but he was a shown straight red by Langford during the altercation.

However, it was later rescinded and the midfielder is free to play in Luton’s match against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

It is not the only controversial decision that Langford has been involved in this season, with the other involving Derby. Two of Norwich City’s goals in their 3-2 win over the Rams in September looked to have crossed the line and gone out of play before the Canaries were able to put the ball in the back of the net.

Pride Park was raucous with its rage and supporters will not be pleased to see the referee return, and neither will Eustace, despite not being at the club at the time.

John Eustace has to ensure that his team are disciplined

The Rams fans will make their home a fortress for one last time this season, and the intimidating atmosphere is sure to infect the players on the pitch.

But, they must remain calm and level-headed. Eustace has never beat Mark Robins before, but he knows what he will be coming up against and he will need everyone in black-and-white to be on the same page to stop Stoke from having a comfortable afternoon.

If the players stay in control, then their job becomes a lot easier and they can forget about any past grievances with the referee, who will also be working hard to ensure that the correct decisions are made with so much riding on this game.

Derby will be looking for all three points as to not worry about other results around them, but the final day of the Championship will be tense for all involved and it is set to be an extraordinary afternoon.