Milan Minic only took the reins of Lokomotiv Rostov one month ago after the club and coach Oleg Meleschenko parted ways.

Now he is one step away from his first big achievement, leading the club into the EuroCup Quarter Final Round.

Lokomotiv must beat Khimik in Yuzhny on Tuesday to progress.

Last week, Barons came from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat Khimik and give Rostov a chance of advancing.

"Group D is a very level group but Barons look to be the best team. No wonder they beat Khimik," Minic said to the Russian newspaper, Sport-Express.

"Right now, we have a chance to decide our own destiny. Khimik is a good team but we'll fight until the end."

Lokomotiv are alive, but Minic does see problems in his squad.

"We need to work on defending fast breaks, for instance," he said.

"Also, we have a problem keeping our concentration for 40 minutes of the game."

Injuries have also complicated matters.

"I have to work hard to prepare my team in a proper way because of the injuries," Minic said.

Lokomotiv do have plenty to be happy about.

They have shown they can play well against even better teams. On Saturday, they fought but fell to one of the best Superleague sides, Khimki, 77-68.

Szymon Szewczyk and Serguei Vorotnikov both had 14 points for Rostov.