nick49
Interesting question
Every Pilot has different ways of coping. On paper the best prep would be the pilot in LHR the night before and either having a normal sleep and a nap mid afternoon, or staying up till early morning then sleeping during the day.
The reality is many commute pre flight, or do normal everyday tasks then go to work. The good news is they will enjoy in flight rest, or nap (which is promoted in most UK Airlines) on the Flight Deck (one pilot for aprox 30 mins)
and being professionals "manage" their fatigue as notoso suggests