Paul Turner insists the Dragons trip to Treviso on Saturday is a "must-win" match as they bid to keep their European hopes alive.
Turner's men have already lost to Perpignan and London Irish in the Heineken Cup this season but intend to bounce back on Italian soil.
The Dragons head coach said: "It's a must-win match for us. We'll have to be prepared but we know it will be a physical encounter. It's just a pity we couldn't go there on the back of a win."
A spirited Dragons performance pushed Gloucester all the way despite two late blunders by stand-in captain Ceri Sweeney in their narrow EDF Energy Cup 13-11 defeat.
Although Turner didn't single Sweeney out for criticism, he will know Sweeney's late kick for goal and turnover with just minutes remaining proved to be fatal for the Dragons as the Guinness Premiership leaders snatched victory.
Turner added: "I felt we should have won but it's disappointing that we made poor decisions with two minutes to go - it's a harsh lesson for us and a real kick in the teeth to lose so late.
"We simply have to go to Treviso and win. A lot of teams have made the mistake of trying to get the bonus-point and have ended up losing."
The Dragons are bottom of Pool 1 with two defeats, first at Perpignan's Stade Aime Giral in Round 1, and they then suffered a thumping home defeat to London Irish in Round 2.
