Ugarkovic, who missed Monday's 1-0 loss to Western United with a back injury, has signed to join Western Sydney Wanderers at the end of this season and the Jets initially declined a request to release him early.

Newcastle have since been asked to re-consider their position, prompting speculation that the 26-year-old might be released during the next transfer window, which opens on April 22.

"What happens between the clubs, to be honest, is out of my hands and it's out of Stevie's hands," Deans said.

"He's professional enough, and I respect him enough, that while he's here, if he gets selected, he'll gets selected.

"If not, if he's on the bench or not in the squad, he's big enough to cope with all those outcomes.

"If something changes between the two clubs, that's out of his and my hands."

Deans said that after a limited preparation, the 132-game mainstay will sit among the substitutes on Saturday.

"Steve will come back into the squad," Deans said.

"He's had only two sessions since he last played, so he's not ready to come in and start yet. But he'll be back on the bench for the game."

Deans indicated he was likely to retain the same starting line-up on Saturday, with youngsters Luka Prso, Angus Thurgate and Ramy Najjarine in the midfield.

"At the moment, I think the players that played on the weekend had good games up until the final product," he said.

"So they'll get another opportunity this weekend to show us if they've got the ability to score the goals and take the opportunities that go their way ...

"I'll stick with the ones that we had on the weekend and I have faith in them that they can get the job done."

Both teams will have their backs to the wall on Saturday in a showdown that shapes as potentially pivotal in the race to avoid the wooden spoon.

Victory are last on the ladder, and have lost five of their past six games. Three points ahead of them are Newcastle, who have lost six straight and are in danger of suffering a club-record seventh defeat.

"No one wants to be second bottom or bottom of the table," Deans said. "At the moment, it's us two.

"We want to get ourselves away from there as quick as we can and try and leap up the table again, and they'll obviously be the same.

"So it's going to be the team that's most desperate and ruthless and wants it more is going to win.

"We've got to make sure that team is us."

Despite the frustrating run of results, Deans remains confident Newcastle can turn their season around.

"It's easy to be negative, but we have to stay positive and keep reinforcing good habits with players, and if they have the quality on the day, they win," Deans said.