Wales beat Australia 21-18 in last year's corresponding fixture and this latest encounter will be their seventh match against Tri-Nations opposition in 22 Tests since New Zealander Gatland took charge in 2007.
But with Australia dramatically beaten 9-8 by Scotland last weekend, after a 20-20 draw with Ireland ended their hopes of the coveted grand slam, Wales find themselves in the unfamiliar position of being expected to win against a major southern hemisphere team.
"One of the challenges for us is possibly accepting what might be a tag of favourites," said Gatland on Tuesday ahead of Australia's 31-3 tour match win over Cardiff.
"The current coaching regime has something like a 66 percent (overall) success rate, and we have played against more southern hemisphere teams than any other Welsh regime.
"We haven't been good enough on two occasions to beat the All Blacks, but we've played South Africa three times, and on two of those three occasions we had chances to win.
"The next progression for the side is going in, handling that expectation and developing as a team."
Former Ireland and Wasps coach Gatland added: "Knowing the Australian attitude - it doesn't matter whether it is rugby union, cricket, rugby league, whatever - when their backs are to the wall, they tend to respond.
"We expect them to play with a lot of passion."
Gatland has made just one change to the team that beat Argentina 33-16 last Saturday, recalling scrum-half Dwayne Peel instead of Gareth Cooper.
That means nine players - captain Ryan Jones, James Hook, Leigh Halfpenny, Jamie Roberts, Andy Powell, Luke Charteris, Alun-Wyn Jones, Paul James and Gethin Jenkins - will have started in all four of Wales's November Tests.
But there is no place for Tom Shanklin even though the experienced centre has recovered from the broken nose that kept him out against Argentina.
So Jonathan Davies keeps his midfield spot alongside Jamie Roberts.
"We haven't got a lot of options behind Tom," Gatland explained. "It was a young centre combination last week that went okay, and we just felt we wanted them to have another chance this weekend.
"It's also important if you pick up injuries going forward that we need some alternatives."
Australia's quest to match the celebrated 1984 Wallabies by completing the grand slam - beating England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales on the one tour - started well enough with an 18-9 win over England.
However, since then things have unravelled for a Wallaby side coached by Gatland's compatriot Robbie Deans.
Yet their mood coming into the Wales game might have been so different had a conversion from the normally reliable Matt Giteau, which was the last kick of the game, gone over at Murrayfield.
"Australia should not have lost - they created so many opportunities," said Gatland.
"It was a great win for Scotland, and you have got to congratulate them, but if that game was played 99 times out of 100 and Australia took their chances, they would have won.
"As a team, Australia have been quite unlucky. They could easily have been playing for a grand slam this weekend.
"My experience of Australian teams in the past is when they are in this situation and taken a bit of criticism, there is normally only one way they come out - with all guns blazing.
"Out of the Tri-Nations teams, they are the ones that have played the most rugby. They have a very young, developing side with a lot of potential.
"The test for us is to continue with our progression on Saturday, and be smart in the way we play."
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