The tourists’ remarkable 29-13 victory in Brisbane last Saturday has raised hopes that they can finish the job at Melbourne’s Colonial Stadium tomorrow and avoid a nerve-jangling series decider.

Australia, though, want exactly what the Lions don’t - a winner-takes-all Sydney showdown in a city where they rarely lose.

But whether the Wallabies can halt seemingly irresistible Lions momentum, gained from last week’s display and the presence of more than 15,000 supporters, remains to be seen.

‘‘We have faced a few big challenges along the way, and this is a huge test, trying to turn things around from what happened last Saturday,’’ said Eales, who overtakes Tim Horan as Australia’s second most-capped international of all time.

‘‘There is certainly a lot more pressure on us - it is a do-or-die situation - and there isn’t a guy in our team who would say he couldn’t do better tomorrow.’’

Eales admits that he was surprised by the level of Lions support in Brisbane, and there promises to be no let-up, given how many red-shirted fans have invaded Melbourne during the past 48 hours.

Whether the Lions can reach such a performance peak again remains to be seen, but a ruthless 60-minute destruction at The Gabba succeeded in sending Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen back to his drawing board.

‘‘Looking back, we were very happy with our preparations, and if there was any complacency among any of the players, then it was not evident beforehand,’’ he said.

‘‘We didn’t perform to the standards that we had set ourselves as a team, and didn’t play the way we wanted to, only really starting to function in the second-half.

‘‘We’ve gone back to basics this week. The Lions are a good side, and like all good teams, they do the simple things, like scrums and lineouts, really well.

‘‘We also missed too many one-on-one tackles, and you cannot expect to win big games when that happens.’’

While the Wallabies send out a team showing three changes from Brisbane - full-back Chris Latham is missing on form, while hooker Jeremy Paul and prop Glenn Panoho are both injured - Lions coach Graham Henry has made just one switch, recalling fit-again flanker Neil Back for Martin Corry.

And with the decision taken to close the Colonial Stadium roof, everything is set for a colossal confrontation in perfect conditions, complete with 55,000 spectators.

Henry’s message all week has been about expecting Australia to bounce back off the ropes and deflect potential knockout blows the Lions will throw at them. His players have taken note.

‘‘Teams like Australia are in the habit of winning, and they will have been hurt by what happened to them last week,’’ said Lions fly-half Jonny Wilkinson.

‘‘It will make things more difficult for us. We know how hard tomorrow is going to be, and how much harder it will get if we go to Sydney 1-1.’’

Stephen Larkham, Wilkinson’s opposite number, took much of the flak for Australia’s defensive deficiencies last time out, while other big-reputation players such as George Gregan, Owen Finegan and George Smith also didn’t perform.

Such collective incompetence, though, has not lulled the Lions camp into any false sense of security.

‘‘You have to be aware of certain individuals, but a world champion team has 15 top players starting, and seven more on the bench,’’ Wilkinson added.

‘‘You need to be careful that you don’t over-commit on just a couple of players.

‘‘If you start messing about with the half-backs (Gregan and Larkham), then you leave a player like centre Daniel Herbert, and if you start messing around with the half-backs and Herbert, then you’ve got Joe Roff, Andrew Walker and Matt Burke to worry about.

‘‘That is why Australia are so difficult to play against, and why you cannot go in with too many pre-conceived ideas. We will react to what happens when we get out there.’’

The Lions’ ability to think on their feet certainly served them well six days ago, and one wonders how much psychological damage they inflicted on an Australian side that appeared genuinely shocked at how they were so comprehensively outplayed.

In contrast, the Lions will have gained enormous confidence from such an experience, notably key decision-making individuals like Wilkinson, Rob Howley and midfield king Brian O’Driscoll.

If the pack, with Johnson, Wood and Scott Quinnell all in prime form, can get on top again, then a second successive Test win - and series for skipper Johnson, after South Africa four years ago - beckons.

Australia should be far more competitive, and the outcome could all come down to one piece of individual magic, but the force, it seems, is with the Lions.