British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell wants his side to "embrace being favourites" ahead of their first Test against Australia on Saturday.

Despite losing their opening game against Argentina, the Lions have gained momentum since landing in Australia, racking up five consecutive wins, including a resounding 48-0 victory over the AUNZ Invitational side last time out.

And Farrell's side are the overwhelming favourites going into their opener against the Wallabies, with the Opta supercomputer giving them a 73.4% chance of victory.

By contrast, the likelihood of an Australia win sits at 26.1%, with a draw occurring in 0.5% of the simulations.

The Lions have won 17 of 23 Tests against the Wallabies, including winning six and losing just two of their eight series openers against them (excluding one-off Tests).

Instead of shying away from the favourites tag, Farrell urged the Lions to rise to the occasion.

Despite all of that, Sexton does not believe they are the favourites and expects the Test to be decided by small margins.

"If you're in a position where it comes down to this every 12 years, and you get to pull the shirt on for the Wallabies and the privilege that goes with that, representing your country, they'll be fighting tooth and nail," Farrell said.

"100% we want to embrace being favourites. Why wouldn't you? There's no overconfidence at all.

"It's having an inner confidence within our group that we are going to execute the plan when it matters."

On the eve of the Series! #Lions2025 pic.twitter.com/JRWQiwBnxe

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The Lions won their last tour of Australia 2-1 in 2013 after making a winning start to the series.

Assistant coach Johnny Sexton is delighted with the work the squad have put in during their preparation and is excited to see what they can do against Joe Schmidt's side.

"It's what they've [Lions players] worked their whole life for, isn't it? Even I was talking to Marcus Smith just before training. It's a massive moment," Sexton, a two-time Lions tourist, told Sky Sports.

"[On Thursday], the families came in to present the jerseys and the caps were presented. It's a very special feel to the week, and that's how it should be.

"The pressure comes in, and this is what we're here for: Test week. The boys have prepped really well, and they're in a good spot. It's exciting.

"All the games have been great for us in terms of certain parts of our game in each one, we were a little bit off, and we've been able to learn lessons about that part of our game. We've been able to focus on trying to put it all together. That's the most important thing.

"We know what a test it's going to be, particularly in here, and the crowd and how much it means to Australia. We're under no illusions about how tough it's going to be.

"You want to make the most of it. You want to go out there and bring the best version of yourself. That's the message to each individual, and then do it as a collective as well."