Roman Abramovich will not attend Chelsea’s Champions League game against Juventus at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night despite a trip to London and a rare visit to the stadium on Sunday.

The Chelsea owner, who has not been seen at a home game for more than three years, hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog at a small event. It was the first time that Abramovich, who did not take advantage of the trip to meet Thomas Tuchel, had visited the club’s stadium since a delay in his application for a new British visa led him to withdraw it in 2018 .

The Russian billionaire traveled to London as an Israeli citizen and hosted Herzog as part of Chelsea’s “Say No to Anti-Semitism” initiative. Abramovich also visited the Imperial War Museum to see the Holocaust galleries he helped fund with donations.

However, Abramovich’s schedule did not include space to watch the key Group H game. A spokesperson for him said: “He has a previous involvement elsewhere with a charity he supports.”

Abramovich was present when Chelsea traveled to Porto to beat Manchester City in the Champions League final last season. He met Tuchel the day after the game and spoke to Chelsea head coach about transfers and the club’s plans for this campaign.

Tuchel praised Abramovich ahead of his side’s game against Juventus, which leads Chelsea by three points at the top of their group. “He’s a football fan,” said the German.

“He is in love with the game and in love with the details. He wants to know all about it, what’s going on here in Cobham. We keep him updated because he has this genuine interest and genuine love for the game.

“That’s the most important thing and it makes it very special. He wants to be entertained. He wants to be competitive. He wants to have the right attitude on the pitch. That’s what he’s created here and that is. It’s incredible.

Chelsea will want revenge after losing 1-0 to Juventus in Turin two months ago. The European champions will advance to the round of 16 with a game to play if they avoid defeat to Massimiliano Allegri’s side, who have already reached the knockout stage.

Tuchel has said Romelu Lukaku could be on the bench after recovering from an ankle injury, but Kai Havertz is uncertain with a hamstring problem and Mateo Kovacic is still out. Jorginho, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic are all available.