After sitting out Australia's recent one-day international series victory over Pakistan with a hamstring injury, Clarke returns to the fold for the two clashes in the longest format of the game with the first match starting in Dubai on Wednesday.
Should Australia achieve a whitewash they will return to the top of the official International Cricket Council Test rankings.
However, Clarke is taking nothing for granted and is expecting a tough task on the sub-continent, while highlighting the importance that spin will have in the series.
"I think it's going to be a war of attrition," he said. "As the game goes on, things can happen in a hurry, but generally in sub-continent conditions, the first couple of days of a Test match are pretty good for batting but tough for bowlers.
"Then, as the wicket deteriorates, reverse swing plays such a vital part, so we need to be able to combat that with the way we go about it when we're batting, but also to use it our advantage when we're bowling and make sure our spin department is doing a good job.
"I think spin will play a major role in this series. How you bowl it, how you face it. I think that's the plan for Pakistan, that's what I was assuming before I got to the United Arab Emirates, and from what I've seen with regards to conditions it's certainly no different."
Clarke stated that Australia will play with an aggressive mentality, but has warned his team not to overstep the mark.
"I think our natural game is to play with aggression and play positive cricket, I think that's our natural way," he added.
"But we haven't spoken about sledging or banter as such, it's making sure that we're 100 per cent ready to play when we walk out onto that field, and we play aggressive cricket.
"We also understand, and it has been made very clear to the team, there's a line. I regularly talk to the team about that, there's a line you can't cross, and I'll be making sure I'm leading by example and don't overstep that mark."
Pakistan named three debutants in their squad with batsman Haris Sohail, wrist-spinner Yasir Shah and fast bowler Imran Khan all called up.
Captain Misbah-ul-Haq is confident the new additions are ready for the pressure of Test cricket.
"Whoever comes to the international scene, they start as being inexperienced but this is how life is," he said.
"You have to make your name, and I think these spinners and players are good enough to make their name now on the international scene. They're pretty good and I hope they have the capabilities that they can really prove themselves at this level.
"I know these [new] guys. Mostly they're experienced. They've bowled well at the domestic level.
"So we need to just give them confidence and give them a goal just to go there and express themselves."