Are Daegu FC's days in the sun all but done?

Daegu FC have a double-digit points deficit from safety, sitting rock bottom of the division heading into Friday's trip to the capital to take on FC Seoul in Round 25 of the Hana Bank K League 1 season. With such a chasm to overcome, are Daegu's days in the sun all but done?

Stuck on three wins, Daegu FC are 13 points behind FC Anyang in 11th heading into Friday's Round 25 match against FC Seoul. The Sky Blues are 14 behind Suwon FC in 10th and then 15 behind Jeju SK in ninth, meaning that absolute safety, clear of any relegation playoff, is 16 points ahead of them.

Historically, there have only been three other K League 1 teams in this position, with a double-digit deficit in points, heading into Round 25. What happened to them?

2015 - Daejeon Citizen

At this stage in the 2015 season, Daejeon Citizen were rock bottom on just eight points following one win and five draws. The Purples were 12 points behind 11th (the only relegation playoff place), and 17 behind absolute safety. Daejeon only added one more win pre-split - two more after - to end the season seven points behind Busan in 11th, but 23 behind a safe Gwangju FC in 10th. Daejeon were relegated that year and it took them eight years to escape K League 2.

2016 - Suwon FC

The following season, following Suwon FC's first-ever promotion to the top flight, the Castle Park club were sat bottom with 19 points, five points from 11th but 10 points from safety. At this point in the campaign (24 matches played), Suwon had won four and drawn seven. They would get four more wins pre-split but just two more in what was then referred to as the Relegation Round. The season culminated with them going down, four points behind Seongnam in 11th and six behind Incheon in 10th. Suwon returned to K League 1 in 2021 and have stayed in the division ever since, despite one or two relegation battles.

2022 - Seongnam FC

The 2022 season was one for sorrow for the Magpies, sitting bottom with 15 points, eight behind 11th and 10th - with third-bottom added as a relegation-playoff place. Seongnam had won just three games by this point in the season, and had added just four more by season's end to finish eight points behind 11th, 14 behind 10th, and 16 behind Daegu in ninth. Seongnam have been in K League 2 ever since.