Melbourne City's A-League Women's Premiers Plate fate might be out of their hands but New Zealand internationals Rebekah Stott and Hannah Wilkinson's returns are a timely boost for coach Rado Vidosic.
The pair have been absent for the Football Ferns' participation in the She Believes Cup in the United States, leaving City without their leading scorer in Wilkinson and a key midfielder in Stott.
Last Thursday's 1-0 loss to Brisbane Roar has left City third on the ladder with two matches to play in the regular season.
It means Vidosic's team must beat Newcastle at ABD Stadium on Tuesday night to have any hope of winning the premiership with league leaders Sydney FC five points clear of City after their win over Perth on the weekend.
Wilkinson and Stott arrived in Australia on Saturday and Vidosic said both were in contention to face the Jets depending on their recovery from the journey back from the United States.
"We gave them yesterday off and then we'll just see how they feel today," Vidosic said.
"They're both happy. They played games for the national team, they were in the national team environment.
"Now just how much will they recover, mainly from fatigue? I don't think they've got any other problems than that."
While snatching top spot appears unlikely, Vidosic said his team will be doing all it can to win the premiership by defeating the Jets tomorrow and then Western Sydney on Saturday.
They would then need Adelaide United - who can also finish in top spot - to defeat Sydney on Sunday to win the Premiers Plate.
"We are not going to experiment. We still want to finish as high as we can," Vidosic said.
"We want to finish at least second.
"The way that Adelaide played against Melbourne Victory, I think anything is possible.
"They are in top form. So it won't be as easy a game for Sydney as maybe some people may think.
"We just need to make sure we do our job and that we are with a shout in that last game of the season on Sunday."
