Which Joonas Kylmakorpi will turn up at Arlington Stadium tomorrow night? That is the burning question for Eastbourne Eagles fans.

It could decide the outcome of the match against Elite League rivals Ipswich.

The last time the Witches were in town, they caused one of the shocks of last season by winning. And it was Kylmakorpi who cast a spell on Eastbourne.

The Flying Finn was in the Ipswich camp on that occasion, having been sent out on loan by the Sussex club after largely failing to fulfil his potential at Arlington.

His three race wins en route to 14 points were instrumental in Ipswich securing a 46-44 win which at the time threatened to torpedo Eastbourne's hopes of topping the league.

Kylmakorpi blew away Eagles skipper Joe Screen in one race and finished so far in front in another that he pulled up at the pits gate and mockingly looked into the distance for the man behind him.

And in the last-heat decider, he went past Dean Barker like a train to snatch the vital third place which won the match for the visitors.

It was an astonishing display by Kylmakorpi, who had scored only one point on his two previous appearances at Arlington and never produced anything like that sort of form for Eagles.

Now he is back at Eastbourne and, if Tuesday's opener against Wolverhampton is anything to go by, already sending out mixed messages.

Kylmakorpi was back in the one-point groove, only being overtaken late on by Peter Karlsson in one race but finishing tailed off in his other three rides.

Yet the week before the enigmatic Finn had won a new GM engine against a powerhouse field at Karlsson's testimonial meeting which included world champion Tony Rickardsson and the Karlsson brothers.

Kylmakorpi has been left with no illusions this season about his destiny at Arlington.

Eastbourne boss Jon Cook said: "Joonas knows we are not prepared to carry him. This is his second chance, and he has got to grab it."

Cook blames a wrong machine set-up for Kylmakorpi's poor performance against Wolves and still believes he can play a big part in the team's 2003 title bid.

Whether he can put the record straight against Ipswich remains to be seen, but the match against the league's 28-1 rank outsiders has all the trappings of a banana skin affair for Eagles if they are not up to the mark.

The Witches are still without their talisman Chris Louis, who has not recovered from injuries sustained in a smash last year, but in Scott Nicholls, Jarek Hampel and Paul Hurry they have a trio of potential high scorers.

Nicholls, the reigning British champion, always goes well at Arlington and was beaten only once in six outings when Ipswich turned Eagles over last time.

Hampel weighed in with nine points on that occasion and then top scored with 14 for Poland when they triumphed in the World Cup meeting against the USA, Russia and Slovenia at Eastbourne.

And former Eagle Hurry will have plenty to prove after being forced to switch clubs for the second time in three years after helping first Eastbourne and then Wolves win the league title.

Cook expressed his delight at the opening win over Wolves. "We worked hard after going behind and won a lot more easily than the score of 47-42 suggests."

Cook senses that a lot of people were expecting Eagles to trip up after a relatively low-key run-up to the new campaign.

"The vultures were gathering ready to write us off right from the start of the season, but I think we showed we have plenty about us to challenge for the league again.

"Ipswich won't be easy. They always go well at our place and they have a couple of riders who could go through the card if they are in the mood."

Eastbourne: Mark Loram, Dean Barker, David Norris, Joonas Kylmakorpi, Joe Screen, Adam Shields, Peter Ljung.

Ipswich: Jarek Hampel, Chris Slabon, Paul Hurry, Daniel Nermark, Scott Nicholls, Tom Madsen, Danny Bird.

Tomorrow's start is at 7.30.